Red Ribbon's Revenge
by Xyex
Summary: A warning has come from the future, the Red Ribbon Army is about to return and conquer the galaxy. Altered History Saga 5
1. The Earth is in Danger!

A/N: Well now, we're halfway through (saga wise) this entire series. However, based on what I've got planned, we're nowhere near halfway through by word count. Sagas 5, 6, 7 and 8 (if I do write 8, seven wraps up the over-arcing story, 8's kinda like the GT Special...) will all be of the more 'epic' variety, like Saga 1. That said, let's get this saga rolling! And remember, this starts BEFORE Saga 4 happens. 

Chapter One - The Earth is in Danger!

Gohan leaned back in his chair and stared out the window up at the clouds outside. It had been over a year now, since Slug had attacked the Earth, and there was still no sign of his dad. He knew Goku was out there somewhere... He was worried that maybe he didn't have a way to get home.

"Gohan! Telephone!" Chi-Chi called from the front room.

The boy closed his books and hopped off his chair. "Hello." he said as he entered the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hey Gohan, how you holding up?" came Bardock's voice.

"Same as yesterday." the boy replied with a sigh.

"Well, don't worry about Goku so much, he'll be fine. Anyway, Bulma's decided to hold a small gathering at Capsule Corp. today. I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming over? Everyone's going to be here."

He turned and looked over to his mom. "Can I?"

"No. You've got to finish your schoolwork young man."

Gohan sighed into the phone. "Sorry, mom says I can't come."

"Well, let me talk to Chi-Chi."

The young Sai-jin handed the phone over to his mother and then walked off to his room again taking his seat at his desk once more. He sighed as his eyes scanned over the paper sitting before him. It's center was filled with math problems, advanced Algebra equations technically. But the edges, top, and bottom... they were lined with sketches of his father. Some with his normal spikey black hair and others with his tall pointy blonde hair. He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. /Father... where are you? When are you coming home/ he wondered sadly.

There was a light knock on his door and he turned to look as Chi-Chi walked in with a tray of cookies and a glass of milk. "You've actually gotten ahead of your studies Gohan." she said setting the tray down. "So I thought you could use a little break so you don't fry your brain. You can't be a scholar if your brain is fried you know."

"Thanks mom." he said grabbing a cookie and munching on it. He turned his eyes out the window and stared up into the sky as Chi-Chi glanced down at his work and noticed all the sketches. She sighed and wandered over to the window and looked up at the sky as well. Turning around she looked at Gohan for a moment and let out another sigh.

"Oh... alright Gohan... you can go." she said slumping her shoulders a bit.

"Huh?" he asked looking over. "Go where?"

"To Capsule Corp. for that party or whatever it is. You're ahead in your studies, it wont hurt to take one day off. But that's it young man, it's right back to work tomorrow."

Gohan smiled and nodded. "Sure thing mom!" he said grabbing his bag from the wall and running out the door.

Chi-Chi leaned out his window just as he emerged from the house. "Be back here by sunset Gohan!"

"Ok!" he called back blasting off toward West City.

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West City, Capsule Corp.:

"So, where should we set the tables?" Yamcha asked.

Bulma turned around and pointed off to the right side of the garden. "Set them up around the tree over there."

"Right." Krillin said. He lifted up a table in each hand and Yamcha did the same. The two Humans carried them off as Hotaru and Appla, carrying the benches, followed. When Bulma had suggested the idea they'd all agreed readily. Yamcha and Krillin, though, were reconsidering that idea now. As soon as they'd arrived she'd put them to work helping her set-up. Apparently Vegeta wasn't interested in the picnic and was locked in his room brooding. According to Bulma it's all he'd done since arriving a few months earlier.

Bulma looked over the gathering of friends. Not one was wearing their usual attire. Krillin and Yamcha were in orange shorts and sandles, so was Bardock but he also had a black t-shirt on, last Bulma had seen. All three women, herself, Hotaru, and Appla, were in two-piece bikinis. Apparently Yamcha had bought Hotaru's that morning, after learning of the picnic, and Bulma had to admit, it certainly looked like the kind he'd buy. There was next to nothing to it.

The blue haired woman sniffed the air as the scents from the kitchen wafted out through an open window. "That smells really good Hotaru." she called over as the girl helped the others set up the table and benches. "What is it?"

"It's a family recipe." she called back over. "Everything in it is native to Tanaria. I think you'll like it."

"If it tastes as good as it smells I think I will." Bulma said turning back to work on the pool. She needed to finish fixing the water pump and then she could fill it. After all, no summer picnic was complete without a pool.

"Well, Gohan's on his way." Bardock said emerging from the building. He'd just sensed his grandson taking off and figured he'd either snuck off or Chi-Chi had changed her mind.

"Good." Bulma said with a nod. "He needs to get his mind off things for a little while. Hey, Bardock, give me hand?" she asked glancing back at him.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I think there's a wire loose on the bottom. Can you lift the pool up?" The Sai-jin nodded and bent down slipping his hands under the pool. It didn't take much effort to lift it up for her. "Ah, yep, here it is." she said. A moment later she pulled back. "Ok, put it down." Once it was back on the ground she activated the pump and the water started flowing into the pool. "Alright! Pool's fixed!" she cheered.

She followed Bardock over to where the others were as they laid out the table cloths. "This is what we really need." she said. "A nice chance to kick back and relax. Enjoy the peace."

Bardock nodded. "Some peace and quite will be be nice for a change." he said. "Though, I'm still worried. This much silence from the Cold Empire... They've put up jamming barriers around the entire border you know. About eight monts ago. Cold is up to something and he doesn't want us to know what."

"We've got people looking into it." Appla said. "And we've got a Scan Net in place along the border. Any ships that cross we'll find. You need to relax and enjoy the peace. We may be Sai-jins but we still need to relax now and then."

He sighed. "Ya, I guess you're right."

"Hey everyone!" Gohan called from the door waving as he entered the garden. "Who's making the food, it smells great!"

Hotaru smiled. "That would be me. And speaking of it, I should go check on it."

"Hey, where are Videl and Hercule?" Gohan asked.

"Not back yet." Bardock replied. "They should be back tomorrow though."

"Oh ya, I forgot Videl wanted to go visit Planet Vegeta..."

The picnic moved along and soon all worries were forgotten. Appla helped Bulma set up the net and soon a game of volley ball was going, Hotaru, Appla, and Krillin vs. Gohan, Bardock, and Yamcha. Then came the food but that was soon gone with three Sai-jins at the table. Gohan and Bardock were now sprawled out side by side on the grass resting. "Man... I've never eaten that much before..." Gohan said slowly.

"Me either." replied the older Sai-jin. "Hey, Hotaru, how about you take over as head chef at the Embassy?" he called over grinning.

"And try to feed a few hundred hungry Sai-jins all day?" she called over laughing. "No thanks."

The Sai-jin just chuckled and started closing his eyes when suddenly a siren sounded through the city. Instantly he sat up and looked up through the glass dome over the garden. He could see the red lights flashing outside as the siren wailed on. In a matter of seconds he was in the kitchen and putting on his scouter. As he walked back into the garden again with the others, all watching him closely, he contacted the embassy. "Report." he said as soon as he had someone on the line.

"Ship detected approximately 30 minutes from Earth." the person replied. "We don't know where it came from sir, it just suddenly appeared on our sensors. But scans and transponder signal confirm, it's King Cold's ship. These new scouter systems work great though, we're getting two high power readings."

"Two?" Bardock asked shocked.

"Yes sir. One of 18.5 million even, and one of just over 20.3 million.

Bardock frowned as he reached out into the depths of space with his senses. One of them had to be Cold... but the other? That didn't make any sense... "What the hell!" he suddenly cried. "How... that's... that can't be!"

"What is it Bardock?" Bulma asked.

The answer didn't come from the elder Sai-jin, however. It came from the boy standing beside her. "Frieza!"

Bardock nodded. "And stronger than he was on Namek. The other power must be his father..." He looked at the others as they, too, sensed Frieza now. "We need to head them off... I don't know if Gohan and I can beat them, even as Super Sai-jins, but we have to try!"

"Well I'm coming along." Bulma said.

"I don't..." Bardock started.

"I'm going and that's final."

"Don't argue with her." Vegeta said suddenly as he walked into the garden already wearing his armor. "You'll waste time. Just grab her and let's get moving."

Bardock nodded. "Yamcha, you can carry her. I'd rather get changed first but... we're low on time." Turning his eyes skyward they flashed and the dome shattered. A moment later he and the others were flying through the air tracking the ship to where it would land. As they flew, Bardock sensed a power flying toward them from the east. A moment later he turned to the owner of that power and nodded. "Piccolo."

"I don't get it." the Namek said. "Goku beat Frieza on Namek."

"I know." Bardock replied, turning his eyes forward again. It took them nearly fifteen minutes to reach the area where they felt that Frieza would land. A highly mountainous area but there was a large valley that seemed to be the choosen landing area of the incoming ship. "So... anyone have any bright ideas?" he asked after a moment. "I'm about even with Frieza... Gohan's close. Together we could probably take him but... Cold..."

"The difference doesn't feel that great." Piccolo said.

"No, it's not insurmountable." Bardock replied. "But Cold doesn't fight the same as Frieza. Frieza will toy with you, give you every possible chance to win. Cold just goes for the kill."

Piccolo nodded in understanding. The difference was enough that, against an opponent who was trying to kill you with each attack, it would easily be a problem.

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Outerspace:

"Exiting Hyper Space in 5... 4... 3... 2...1... now." There was a whine as the tunnel of blue, white, green, red, and purple light faded away into the normal view of space.

"This new 'Hyper Space Drive' is impressive Father." Frieza said as he gazed at the small blue planet not much further away now. "We got here in only two days instead of almost six months."

Cold nodded. "Indeed. This new technology will make running empires as large as ours much easier. We can have troops out to almost any problem in a matter of hours instead of weeks. It's a pity the Valorum insisted on resisting to the last. It'll take decades to reverse engineer these engines. Until then all we can do is transplant them from their ships and into ours." He then turned his eyes toward the planet. "So... this is Earth then? Doesn't look that impressive. This is where that... what's his name?"

"Goku, father, Goku."

"Yes, this is where Goku's from then?"

Frieza nodded. "His father, son, and friends are here as well."

"Not to mention the Prince." Cold said nodding. "This shall be a most eventful outing. I still say we just destroy it from here."

"No, I want to kill all of that rotten Sai-jin's friends. And then, when he gets home, I'll be the only thing waiting for him!"

"It seems there's a problem with our engines." a tech called over.

"Oh?"

"They've overheated, sir. It'll take three or four hours to cool them down."

Cold nodded. "Well, Frieza, looks like you'll get your way after all. Set us down on the planet."

"Yes sir."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Eath, Mountains:

A rush of wind blew through the peaks and valleys of the mountains as the ship broke through the cloud cover and descended down into the canyon. "I say we wait here, for now." Bardock replied pushing his power down, the others doing the same. "We don't want to give ourselves away... A quick sneak attack may be the only way to defeat Cold."

Gohan nodded as he watched the large saucer ship land. A second later the door opened and soliders started filing out. In a matter of moments there were a few hundred soldiers gathered and then Frieza and Cold emerged as well. The sun glistened off the mechanical parts of Frieza's new body as the Changeling looked around him. "Alright, I want you to spread out and kill everyone!" he ordered. "Leave no one alive!"


	2. The Mysterious Arrivals

Chapter Two - The Mysterious Arrivals

The sun glistened off the mechanical parts of Frieza's new body as the Changeling looked around him. "Alright, I want you to spread out and kill everyone!" he ordered. "Leave no one alive!"

"Wow... he sure does like barking out orders, doesn't he?" a voice sounded from up and to the left of where Frieza and his men were, echoing off the other mountains. The sudden and unexpected voice drew everyone's attention in its direction, but none of those in the canyon could spot the source. From the higher vantage point where Bardock and the others stood, however, they were able to make out a figure leaning against the rock. Although, from their distance they couldn't make out any details. The voice, which clearly sounded female, continued. "You sure this is him? He doesn't look all that tough to me."

"Yeah, it's him." came a new, male, voice coming from the opposite side of the canyon as the girl. None of those present, either in the canyon below or up on the ledge with Bardock, could spot the source of the second voice. "It's the right location, and he matches mom's description."

"Cool. Guess that means it's show time." The girl pushed away from the ledge and floated leisurely down into the canyon, as though the presence of two of the most feared and powerful people in the galaxy was as inconsequential as that of an ant. As she descended to the canyon floor both those above and below got a better look at her. She had on a pair of red knee length shorts, a red t-shirt with blue trim on the sleeves, a purple tank-top over the shirt, white sneakers, and a pair of fingerless black gloves. However, as nonchalant as her body language was, her black eyes were alert, watching Frieza, his father, and the soldiers they'd brought with them as the breeze ruffled her silver hair.

From the other side of the canyon emerged her male companion, stepping out from behind a rock outcropping. He had on a pair of yellow boots, light gray slacks held up by a yellow belt, and a black tank top over which he wore a jacket that looked alternately blue or purple depending on how the light hit it, and bore the Capsule Corp. logo on both shoulders. There also appeared to be a sword strapped to his back. His lavender hair shifted slightly in the light breeze but his blue eyes remained motionlessly locked on Frieza and Cold.

"Who are they?" Bardock wondered. "I never even realized they were there. I can still barely even sense them."

"No clue." said Appla, equally stunned by the appearance of the unknown pair. "I don't recognize either of them. Though, the girl's hair..."

Hotaru nodded. "She looks Tanarian. It could just be coincidence, though. Do you think we should help them?"

"Let's wait and see what happens, first." said Piccolo. "Even if they are intending to fight Frieza and his father we still may not be on the same side."

Frieza had arched an eyebrow as the two had emerged into view and begun their descent to the canyon floor. He found it interesting that they had, apparently, been waiting for him. He knew the Sai-jins had probably detected the arrival of his father's ship, but neither of these two appeared to be Sai-jin. They certainly weren't Bardock or Vegeta, though the girl looked to be a Tanarian, like the one he'd killed on Namek. Perhaps they were friends of those he'd fought on that planet, in which case this could prove to be entertaining.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked as their feet touched the ground.

"You could leave." said the girl. "I'd rather not have to kill you. Evil as you are, I've seen enough death."

Frieza blinked a couple of times, and then laughed. "I don't think we have to worry about that happening." he said. "But you obviously don't know who I am."

"Oh, we know all about you, Frieza." said the boy. "We've heard all of the stories, all of the atrocities you've committed."

"Though you're not nearly as impressive in person as I'd expected." the girl added. "Maybe it's the patchwork prosthetics?"

Frieza scowled but it was his father who spoke up.

"This is getting boring." said Cold. He pointed to one of the soldiers. An orange one with scales and a fin on its head. "You, what's their power level?" he asked, and the soldier reached up and activated his scouter. Yellow numbers danced across the green glass as the device locked onto the pair, outlined them, and then displayed their powers. The soldier blinked and stared at the reading in complete disbelief.

"Well?" demanded Cold. "What is it?"

The alien suddenly smirked and looked as though he was attempting not to laugh. "They're both at 2." he said. His fellow soldiers didn't share in his restraint and a chorus of laughs broke out from the crowd.

As Frieza joined in on the laughter Cold scowled a little. The reading was impossible. The two of them had flown down into the canyon. Or at least, slowed their descent through use of energy. With a power of only 2 it would be impossible for them to control their energy, let alone for them to perform any sort of flight. That paradox left only two possible answers. Either the scouter was faulty and giving a false reading, which seemed unlikely, or the two of them were capable of suppressing their powers to a degree he'd never before heard of.

"You two must be delusional." one of the soldiers laughed. "Challenging Lord Frieza and King Cold with such pathetic powers."

"If you have that much faith in your superiority, why don't you try us?" asked the boy. "Though, I think it only fair to warn you that you don't stand a chance against either of us. You have no idea what you're dealing with." At his words several of the soldiers snickered, others just smirked.

"You," Frieza said, smirking, pointing to a nearby soldier covered in green fur. "Get them out of the way so we can get down to business. We have an appointment to keep."

"Yes, sir." the soldier said, raising an arm and pointing the gun he wore at the pair. "Tough luck." he said, pushing the button twice in quick succession. Two blasts of golden energy shot out, one straight for the girl, one for the boy. Neither bothered to move, the energy slamming right into their chests and exploding leaving them... completely unscathed. Their clothes weren't even torn. The furred alien blinked in confusion and Cold's scowl deepened as he glanced over to the orange alien again. He'd heard the sudden beeps of the scouter as it picked up the power increases. The finned alien's eyes had widened and he was now shaking in fear, which told the Changeling the pair had to have powers of at least twenty thousand.

"Your appointment with Goku has been canceled." said the girl. "We wont let you and your men slaughter the people of Earth."

"You know Goku?" Frieza asked, eyes still wide from the pair's unexpected survival. Then he smirked. "So, the two of you are friends of his."

"Something like that." said the boy.

"All of you, attack and kill them!" Frieza ordered. The soldiers, still stunned by the fact the two had survived the previous attack despite their low powers, were wary of the pair. However, wary as they were of the two before them, they were terrified of the two behind them. And so, as one, they raised their arms and opened fire, some with energy weapons mounted on their arms and others with energy blasts.

The boy and girl both frowned, but while the girl stood her ground the boy disappeared. The girl seemed utterly indifferent to the hundreds of energy blasts surging toward her. Many of the incoming attacks missed wide of her, either due to bad aim or because they'd been meant for the now absent boy, while those that came close suddenly changed course, surging off in some other direction as she easily and effortlessly swatted them aside. The barrage of blasts ceased a few seconds later as the soldiers realized the futility of their attack.

A moment later the boy's voice rang out from about a hundred feet above the girl. "Burning Attack!"

The soldiers all looked up, their eyes widening in shock and fear as they spotted the large energy ball surging toward them. They barely had time to register its presence before it was upon them. The attack slammed into the center of their group and exploded, instantly incinerating over half the group and flinging the rest of them hundreds of yards into the air, and into the distance. Whether atomized or sent flying, however, the result was the same. They were all dead two seconds after the explosion.

"This is your last chance." said the girl, as the boy floated down to land beside her again. "Leave this world and never come back."

"Don't get cocky just because you can take out a few weaklings." said Cold. Judging from the display he'd just witnessed, he estimated the boy's power at about 80,000. It was, of course, possible that he was still holding back, but if so the Changeling doubted it was by much. Being able to suppress his power from 80,000 down to 2 was already absurd enough. Any more was well beyond improbable. "Our powers are on an entirely different level."

"We know." replied the boy. "But then, so are ours."

Frieza scowled and then purple energy flared up around his right hand. These two nobodies and their superior attitudes were grating on his nerves. Plus, they were delaying him from his plans. With all of the soldiers he and his father had brought with them now dead they'd have to clear the planet themselves. Which, honestly, he didn't mind in and of itself. His issue was with the fact it would slow them down. It was unlikely everyone would be dead before the Sai-jin returned home, unless they blew up entire cities at a time. It was time to get rid of these two and get down to business. He wanted as many of the natives dead before Goku's return as possible.

"I grow weary of listening to your drivel." he said. "It's time to say good-bye." With that he thrust his arm forward and unleashed a powerful stream of purple energy.

Up on their ledge, Bardock's eyes widened and he tensed. The attack wasn't nearly as powerful as the Changeling could have made it, but it was more than enough to easily kill the unknown boy and girl. He was just about to transform, to launch down into the fray to try and save the pair, when the girl suddenly thrust her arms forward as if to catch the attack and let out a yell, her power climbing rapidly as a red aura flared around her.

Then the aura suddenly flared up into a column looking almost like fire. Orange sparks began to float up along it as the entire thing began to shift to orange. Her power rocketed upward and a second later the column shattered apart, just as Frieza's energy attack reached her. The blast slammed into her outstretched hands and pushed her back a few feet, her arms strained against the force of it, and then with one last cry she pushed the attack off into the sky where it flew off harmlessly into space. Frieza, startled, brought the attack to an end as it was deflected.

"That... that..." Yamcha stammered. "That's the Tanarian transformation!"

Hotaru nodded, at something of a loss for words. Shocked not only by the fact that this unknown girl could transform, something Hotaru had thought only she and her mother were presently capable of doing, but also by the girl's power. It had taken her so much to get to the power she was at now but this girl, who looked to be a few years younger than her, was more than three times stronger.

"She's a lot stronger than I'd thought." said Piccolo. "But even so, she's still not a match for Frieza, so what's she thinking, confronting him?"

None of his allies had an answer for him. Meanwhile, Frieza had recovered from his surprise and took in the girl's new look. She hadn't changed much, though clearly her power must have increased a good deal to deflect his attack like that. Her short silver hair was tinted blue, her eyes were solid blue, and she had tiger-like orange stripes coming from under her hair, across her cheeks, and under her eyes. He'd assumed when he first saw her that she had been a Tanarian, though now he wasn't so sure. As far as he was aware their race couldn't transform.

"Impressive." said Cold, giving her an appraising look. "You're more skilled and powerful than I'd assumed, it would seem. However, I'm still not worried. But it would be a waste to lose a fighter of your caliber. Especially these days, with the Ginyu Force dead and Avo and Kado deserted. We are seriously short on high level warriors."

"A job offer?" the girl asked, arching an eyebrow. "I don't know if I should be flattered or offended, but either way the answer is no. We came here to stop you, not to help you."

"That's too bad." Cold said with a shrug. "If you wont join then I suppose I have no choice but to be rid of you." With that the Changeling raised his arm and pointed a palm toward her. The girl tensed, showing the first sign of concern since arriving in the canyon. The boy, however, stepped between her and Cold and she relaxed.

"Sorry, but your fight isn't with her." he said. "It's with me."

"Her, you, it doesn't matter to me. I can be rid of you both with just the one attack." replied Cold, though he made no further moves to launch such attack, but neither did he lower his arm.

The boy shook his head. "You've ignored the number one rule of any fight, know your enemy. You don't know anything about us, but you've made some pretty big, and costly, assumptions. You're too arrogant for your own good, so sure of your superiority."

"And why shouldn't we be?" laughed Frieza. "We are the strongest beings in the galaxy!"

"Are you?" asked the boy. "As an Oozaru, King Vegeta would have both of you severely outclassed, and on Namek you did lose to a Super Sai-jin."

"Why you..!" Frieza growled, but before he could say or do anything more Cold spoke, at last lowering his arm again.

"You are well informed, aren't you?" asked the Changeling.

"Like we said," began the girl. "We know all about you."

Cold shook his head. "If you knew as much as you think you do, you wouldn't be here now, thinking you could beat us. Yes, the Oozaru is an amazing transformation, one of the most powerful I've ever heard of, and the King would greatly out strip us in power in that form, but it is far too limited to really even be considered. A full moon is required, and a tail. Sever the tail or destroy the moon and no more Oozaru. Not much of a threat when you can disable the transformation quite easily, and doing so renders the Sai-jin unconscious, even if only momentarily.

"As for the Super Sai-jin on planet Namek, luck was all that allowed him to survive, though he did not truly win. Super Sai-jin is an even more impressive transformation than Oozaru, I'll admit, but it's still nothing compared to us. I can assure you, had it been I he'd been fighting things would have turned out quite differently."

"Oh? Think you could take a Super Sai-jin, do you?" asked the boy.

"Of course."

The boy smiled. "Well, how about we find out?" he asked. With that he clenched his hands into fists, hunched over a little, and then let a loud scream. The ground began shaking and cracking as a rush of wind blew out from him around the area. His hair began to flap up as a golden glow formed around him. His eyes went pure white as his hair flashed gold once, twice, three times and held. When the golden light faded the boy straightened up and raised his head to look at the two Changelings. His hair now stood up in golden spikes and his eyes were teal.

"What!?" cried Vegeta, eyes going wide in shock.

"He's... he's a Super Sai-jin!?" Krillin stammered, also wide-eyed.

"And a lot stronger than Gohan or I." said Bardock, equally surprised. "Who are they? I didn't think there were any other Super Sai-jins besides my family, or any Super Tanarians outside of Hotaru's family..."

Vegeta looked over to him and then back down at the boy, growling. "He can't be a Sai-jin. No Sai-jin has hair like that."

"Maybe... another hybrid?" suggested Hotaru. "One we didn't know about before. It's farfetched, but..." Her eyes shifted from the newly transformed Super Sai-jin boy and back to the girl.

Down below Frieza's eyes had widened in shock and fear as he recognized the look. The tyrant took a step back, and his father looked down at him and then across at the boy. "So then... this is a Super Sai-jin I take it?" He turned his head back to Frieza and frowned. "Get a hold of yourself Frieza, he's still just a monkey."

Frieza recovered and nodded. He couldn't act like a frightened child around his father. Especially not over some rotten Sai-jin! "Alright, Sai-jin, time for you to die!" he cried, lunging in at the boy and cocking back his metal fist. However, the boy suddenly vanished and Frieza's punch missed him. Frieza now stood a couple of feet in front of the girl, fist still outstretched from the intended attack, while the boy was now behind him and walking casually toward Cold.

"Sorry, Frieza." the girl said. "But he's not your opponent. I am. Itsutsu Kinryoku!" she cried clenching her hands into fists. Her orange aura exploded into brilliant silver as her muscles bulked up a little as well. Her hair blew about in the draft from the breeze created by the energy as she landed and smiled sadly at the tyrant before her. "Don't worry, I'm a nice person. I'll make this quick."

"Unreal!" Yamcha cried, eyes going wide, as he felt the girl's power skyrocket.

"She... she knows the Kinryoku." Hotaru stammered. "And she can use it while transformed, too... I can't do that..." Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two unknown fighters. "Just what in the world is going on?"

"They're incredible." Gohan said, wide-eyed. The girl wasn't as strong as the boy, but both of them were stronger than him, stronger than Bardock, stronger than Cold, stronger, even, than his dad had been on Namek.

Down in the canyon the boy continued walking toward Cold in the same relaxed pace as before the girl's sudden power spike. Ahead of him, Cold was scowling. Both at him and at the girl behind him. He wasn't sure what she'd just done but the color shift of her aura implied to him some further change to her current state, possibly some increase to her power. He wasn't sure how much power she'd had before, or how much she may have just gained, but he wasn't particularly worried. Not for himself, anyway.

These two held more surprises than he'd expected, but he could deal with any Sai-jin, super or otherwise, and there was no way a complete unknown like the girl could match his power. Still, it would be better to deal with this now, instead of risking it snowballing into something bigger down the line. He had nothing to fear from any Sai-jin, or anyone at all. His power was unmatched. But Frieza, however, had already struggled against one Super Sai-jin, and Cooler wasn't nearly as powerful as his brother.

In fact, based on what he'd seen the girl do after transforming, it was entirely possible she was already stronger than Cooler. Perhaps it was time to stop being so nice. He'd been too benevolent, too generous, too tolerant over the years. He'd been debating it ever since the probes had rescued Frieza from the ruins of planet Namek but now, witnessing the emergence of a second Super Sai-jin and the appearance of some unknown who might be stronger than Cooler, he made his decision. This visit to Earth would only be the first stop on a mission to cleanse the galaxy of all agitators.

First would be this boy, this girl, the Sai-jin Goku, and his friends and allies. Then they would travel to planet Vegeta and he would personally deal with the Sai-jin King and the Rondo, Pug, as well as any Sai-jin whose power, in Oozaru, surpassed a million. And then anyone else on the planet that attempted to resist them. After that, he would keep a tighter watch over the galaxy. Any powers, anywhere, that exceeded the one million mark would be eradicated. It was time to show the galaxy that no one challenged his family without severe consequences.

With those thoughts in mind Cold pushed off and lunged at his opponent, cocking back his left arm and gathering energy in his fist. He had no interest in dragging out this fight, he would end it now, before it even began. He would remove the Sai-jin's head with this attack and put an end to all of this Super Sai-jin nonsense. The boy didn't seem to give the Changeling's charge any consideration, however, as he continued walking forward at the same relaxed pace.

Cold reached him a moment later and swung his arm forward. The attack missed, however, and the Changeling's eyes snapped open wide in shock, and pain. The boy had ducked under the swing, drawn his sword, and plunged it up to the hilt into the Changeling's abdomen. Still holding the hilt of the sword the boy lifted into the air, twisted around, and then slammed the soles of both of his feet into the Changeling royal's chest.

The blow drove Cold back, sliding him off the sword and sending him sailing into one of the legs of his saucer ship, which cracked but held and stopped his backward momentum. During Cold's backward flight the boy had launched up into the air, raised his arms over his head, and quickly began to gather his energy.

Meanwhile, as Cold had lunged at the boy, the girl had grabbed hold of Frieza's still outstretched metal arm. Holding it firmly she twisted around three times and then pitched the startled Changeling up into the air. At the same time that the boy was plunging his sword into his opponent the girl placed her index and middle fingers against her temples. Frieza came to a halt in the air, a hundred feet up, at the same time the boy kicked Cold in the chest.

"Kuro Omoi Seichuu!" she cried, her eyes flashing. Frieza, who had just been about to lunge down at her, suddenly froze in place. The girl turned sideways to him and raised her right arm, pointing her open palm at where he floated. Instantly, blue and green energy began to flow up from the ground and from the air around her and gather in front of her hand. She knew she didn't have long before he could move, and dodge, again, so she quickly focused some of her own power into the forming attack as well.

Three seconds later, as golden energy bathed the ground from up in the sky, her voice rang out, "Wakusei Okaeshi Bakuha!" The energy in front of her palm swirled around and then flared out. A massive stream of bright blue energy surged up from the girl's hand and engulfed Frieza. The attack only lasted a moment and then faded away leaving no trace of the Changeling. As she changed poses, into the traditional Tanarian prayer for the lost, the boy's voice sounded from above.

"Finish Buster!" She glanced up in time to see him bring his arms down and launch the attack. The large ball of golden ki surged down toward the stunned King Cold, whose eyes widened as he saw it coming. It hit an instant later and exploded savagely, the blast obliterating both Cold and his ship. As the glare was still fading the boy dropped back to the ground to land beside the girl, his hair switching back to lavender and laying back flat on his head, and his eyes turning back to blue. The girl's silver aura faded and she flashed orange as she, too, reverted back to normal.

"No, no way!" Krillin cried. "They just... they beat Frieza and his father like it was nothing! It didn't even look like they were trying!"

Bardock simply nodded, stunned as well by how quickly the battle had gone.

"She said 'wakusei', didn't she?" Yamcha asked looking over to Hotaru. "Could she have learned that from Aiko?"

Hotaru shook her head. "I don't know... This doesn't make any sense. And how does she know the Kuro Omoi Seichuu? I invented it, and I've never taught it to anyone..."

In the canyon, the girl sighed. "I still wish we hadn't had to do that." she said.

"Couldn't be helped." the boy replied. "I know how you feel, but we're going to need every edge we can get. Besides, it's a lot better than the alternative."

"Better than the only one they left us, you mean." she corrected. "But not better than them leaving."

"You could have stayed home." he said. "I would have been ok on my own."

She shook her head. "No." she said. "I didn't want to miss this." Her eyes shifted to the right as she spoke, in the general direction of the ridge where Bardock and the others were still in hiding, but from her angle and position she still couldn't see the location.

The boy nodded. She didn't need to explain it any more than that. That single word, "this", carried so many meanings in that sentence, and he knew them all.

"So, which way?" she asked, looking to him again.

The boy brought his arm up and looked at his watch. "Alright, the tracer still works with the old satellites. Way to go Gramps. Let's see, we should head... about seventy miles... that way." he said, turning and pointing to the north east.

"Alright." she said, nodding, then turned to look toward the ridge where the others were at.

Krillin's eyes widened. "I... I think they know we're here..."

"Looks like we may have a fight after all." Appla said shifting her position a little.

"I don't know, I don't think so..." Piccolo said slowly.

"Hey!" the girl called up waving one arm while cupping her other hand around her mouth. "Hey up there! We're heading off to meet Goku!"

"Wh-what? Dad!?" Gohan cried, stepping out from behind his rock.

She nodded. "If you want to come, just follow us!" She turned then from the ridge to her friend. "Ready?" she asked. He gave her a nod and then the two of them lifted into the air and shot off to the north east, a light purple aura around the boy and a red one around the girl.

"Should we follow?" asked Yamcha.

"Of course we should." said Bulma. "How else are we going to get any answers?"

Piccolo smirked. "She has a point. Come on."


	3. Return of a Hero

A/N: It would seem I've lost my English - Tanarian translation tool, and I really don't want to try to remake it, as that would require a fair bit of guess work for the letter pairs for those letters not previously used in dialoge. As such, I'm not going to include Tanarian in this, but simply leave it in English and say that it was spoken in Tanarian. :p

Chapter Three - Return of a Hero

"It feels so strange." said the girl, looking at the world around them as they flew. The area where they were was rocky mountains, not a whole lot of plant life around, but there were scattered spots of green, and numerous birds were in the sky with them. "It's been so long since I've been here, and the last time..."

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I don't even remember it like this, I was still too young when the devastation happened." he said. He glanced over his shoulder, then, as he felt powers behind him. "Looks like they're following, and keeping their distance."

"Can't blame them, we're the strongest people on the planet right now." she said. "They want to know what's up, and if Goku's really on his way, but they'd be wary after what we just did."

"Suppose so." he replied. "It's weird, though, being stronger than everyone. We've always been trying to catch up to them, so we could help, and now here we are..."

"I just hope this works." she said. "Three years isn't much time, and there's such a long way to go."

"I know, but it's the best we could manage."

The others flew along a few hundred yards back. Bardock, Gohan, and Piccolo were flying side by side at the front of the group, Vegeta a little further back and higher above them, and Hotaru off to his left with Yamcha, just a bit further up. Krillin and Appla, who was carrying Bulma, were at the bottom of the group, flying below Gohan, Bardock, and Piccolo.

"Any ideas on who these two might be?" Krillin asked, watching the two distant points of light that marked the unknown pair's progress ahead of them. "I mean, they're both even stronger than Goku was back on Namek. They took out Frieza and his father like it was nothing."

"It's absurd." said Vegeta. "She's as powerful as a Super Sai-jin." He glanced over at Gohan and Bardock then, whose full powers he'd sensed shortly after arriving on Earth. "Stronger, even. How is that possible?"

"Sai-jins aren't the end all power of the universe." said Hotaru. "Before the magic that now binds us, the Tanarians were the most powerful race in the universe, far stronger than anything that exists these days. We don't know any sort of exact figure, there's no way to compare the powers of old to what we Tanarians are able to do now, but we do know these suppressed forms are severely weakened over our true forms."

Vegeta snorted. "I've heard the talk." he said. After the Tanarian race had rejoined galactic civilization following Frieza's down fall he had, indeed, heard the stories about how powerful and great the Tanarian race had once been, but he considered most of them to be overly exagerated. "I seriously doubt even those old Tanarians would have been any match for the Sai-jins of that age."

Hotaru scowled and Yamcha sighed. He knew Vegeta had just pushed the wrong button. She was as proud of her ancestors and her heritage as any Sai-jin, and as unwilling as any Sai-jin to allow any sort of insult to them. The Tanarian royal turned her gaze from the pair before them to the Sai-jin prince.

"You felt how powerful she was." she said. "That was only in the first transformation. Based on what I sensed from her after she transformed, her true form power would be somewhere around two hundred and ninety million." Vegeta turned to look at her, disbelief clearly evident on his face, so Hotaru continued. "I'm a lot weaker than her, but even I'd have a power of over eighty million in my true form, stronger than everyone in this galaxy, except for your father as an Oozaru."

"It looks like they're landing." Bulma said, cutting in before any arguments could break out. Hotaru and Vegeta turned their attentions foreward again and found she was right, the pair was descending toward a large open plain.

"So this is it?" the girl asked, glancing around.

"Yeah." replied the boy as the others landed a few dozen yards behind them. "According to both the tracer system and the pre-loaded records the pod will hit about fifty yards north of this position, just beyond that large boulder. We should be clear of the impact blast radius here."

"Should be?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Sorry, it's just a rough guess. I've never witnessed an actual pod landing, before. It's antique technology, no one uses them anymore."

"Well, I trust your rough guesses better than most people's certain facts." she said, digging into a pocket of her shorts. She pulled a small case out of her pocket, flipped it open, and extracted a capsule. With a quick push of the button and a toss the capsule exploded and, as the dust cleared, revealed a mini-fridge.

She turned her gaze to the others, then. "Come on over." she said, walking over to the fridge. "We've still got about two hours before Goku arrives. Nothing to do but wait, may as well get comfortable." Pulling the fridge open she pulled out a can of soda and tossed it over to her friend, then another one which she sat on top of the fridge. "You guys want anything?"

"Umm... I... do you have orange?" Gohan asked tentatively, as he took a few steps toward them. Yamcha and Krillin both hung back a little at first, but soon the others were making their way over as well and they followed.

"Sure do kiddo." she said, pulling one out and throwing it to him.

"Ah, thanks." he said bowing a little and then opening it. "Ummm... how do you guys know my dad?"

The girl sighed. "That's... complicated." she said, tossing drinks out to some of the others before closing the fridge and opening her own can. "It's been... a long time since I've seen him. I was just a little kid then, I barely even remember him."

"So, you met him years ago?" asked Bardock, curious.

"Something like that." she replied. "Like I said, it's complicated. I can't go into the details right now, but I'll explain it once Goku gets here."

"How do you know he'll be here?" asked Piccolo.

"Easy, tracking." said the boy. "His space pod is close enough that the satelites have picked up his appraoch and projected his course."

"That's a Capsule Corp. jacket you're wearing." said Bulma, eyeing up the boy's jacket. "That's my dad's company. Do you work for us?"

"Uh, no." he said, glancing at her and then quickly looking away. "No, just... a fan."

"Um," started Gohan, looking at the boy. "When you fought Cold, you were a Super Sai-jin, weren't you?" he asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

Vegeta snorted. "I don't know who or what you are, but with those eyes and that hair, you're no Sai-jin."

The girl grinned so widely it looked like she was trying not to laugh. Turning her head, she looked over at her friend and spoke in Tanarian. "I told you he wouldn't believe you. It goes against his pride and his whole 'I'm better than everyone' attitude." she said.

Yamcha choked and then started laughing, Hotaru grinning as well, the only two among their group who could understand her. The boy just gave him a glance, shook his head, then went back to not looking at anything in particular.

"So," Bulma started. "With everything else we still haven't asked your names."

The pair glanced at each other for a moment, then the girl shook her head. "I understand your curiosity, but let's save the twenty questions until Goku gets here." she said. "I promise, once he arrives we'll explain everything. Or, at least, as much as we can." She could tell that Bulma was disappointed, and that neither Piccolo or Bardock were happy about waiting, but they all let it go, each of them picking a spot somewhere in the area to sit down and wait.

Yamcha and Hotaru picked one of the larger boulders in the area and sat down on top of it. Hotaru's curiosity about the girl was bordering on obsession and she'd not taken her eyes off of her since they'd landed. She constantly caught the girl glancing her way and the quickly looking off in another direction.

"There's something about her..." she said softly. "I feel..."

"Like you know her?" asked Yamcha, and Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, me too. It's strange, because I know I've never seen her before in my life."

"You've known Goku a long time, did he ever mention...?"

Yamcha shook his head. "No. And it doesn't make much sense, either. She doesn't look that old, but Bulma was the first girl he'd ever met and that was a little over a decade ago. She said she was a little kid at the time, can barely remember it, so it had to have been more than ten years ago, but the time frame just doesn't match-up."

"Is it just me," Krillin started, walking over and joining Gohan, Appla, and Bardock where they were sitting. "Or is there a physical resemblence?"

"What do you mean?" asked Gohan.

"No, it's not just you." said Appla. "I've been seeing it, too. Not all the time, but when you look at them at certain angles..."

Bardock nodded. "Yeah. The boy looks kind of like the Prince, and the girl a bit like Hotaru..."

"What do you think it means?" asked Krillin.

The two Sai-jins shrugged. "Probably nothing." said Bardock.

"It's not uncommon for even unrelated Sai-jins to bare a resemblence." said Appla. "And from what I understand, the Tanarian gene pool is pretty small these days."

"I suppose." said Krillin.

"How do you think they know Goku?" asked Appla. "You know more about his childhood than us."

Krillin shook his head. "I don't know." he said. "He never mentioned anyone like them. Would make more sense if they'd said they'd only just met him recently, out in space."

The boy and girl waited in silence, the boy continuiously checking his watch, and occasionally glancing toward Vegeta, while the girl kept looking Hotaru's way. The others milled about, discussing who the pair might be, debating on how they knew Goku, though Piccolo also waited in silence, meditating to pass the time. Vegeta also kept quiet, prefering to spend the time glaring at the boy.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, a series of sharp beeps sounded from the boy's watch drawing everyone's attention. "Time's up." he said, glancing at its face. "Goku's pod just hit the atmosphere, he'll be landing in about ten minutes."

Everyone looked up and then Gohan started to smile. "I... I can feel him!" he cried. "It is, it's dad!"

"Yeah, that's definitely Goku." agreed Bardock. "And he's gotten a lot stronger since Namek."

"So... what they said... was right?" Bulma asked looking over to the pair.

"Seems that way." said Appla, also following her son's approach. They all waited in rapt anticipation then as the minutes ticked by, seemingly at a crawl. All eyes were on the sky, waiting for the first sign of Goku's arrival.

"There!" Gohan cried, pointing as a spark of blue light flashed in the distance. All eyes quickly diverted that way as the light grew and grew in size. A moment later a space pod zoomed by overhead and crashed to the ground a short distance away, blasting out a crater nearly twenty yards in diameter. Instantly, everyone was moving and in a matter of moments they were gathered at the edge of the crater, the dust still not completely settled from the impact. And then the pod hissed and the door slid open, and a second later Goku stepped out of it.

"Goku!" Yamcha cheered.

"Welcome back Goku." Piccolo said grinning.

"Daddy!"

"Huh?" He looked up and saw his friends and family standing there cheering. "Oh, hey guys!" he called. "How'd you get here so fast?" he asked as he floated up to the edge of the crater and landed in front of them.

"It's thanks to those two." Yamcha said, nodding toward the two mystery people standing just to the right of the group of Goku's friends. "They told us where you'd be landing and when."

"Really? Who are they?"

"You don't know them?" asked Piccolo.

Goku glanced over at the two of them again, a look of concentration coming over his face. "I don't think so." he said. "Why? Should I?"

"Well, they seem to know you. The girl says she met you a long time ago. And they knew exactly when and where you'd be landing." Bulma said.

"Really? That's wierd." said Goku, scratching the back of his head. "They really don't look familiar, though I guess if it was a long time ago..." He shrugged. "I know Frieza detected my ship earlier and knew where I'd be landing. Who beat him and that other guy, anyway? I felt two really strong Kis. Piccolo? Bardock? Vegeta?"

"It was them." said Appla, giving a nod toward the mystery pair. "The boy transformed into a Super Sai-jin, and the girl can apparently transform into a Super Tanarian."

"What, really?" Goku cried, surprised. "He's a Super Sai-jin, too? Wow, and so young. But... what's a Super Tanarian?"

"It's the term Yamcha coined for my race's transformation." said Hotaru. "I hadn't known anyone other than my mother and I could do it." she said.

"Huh, wow. And you don't know who they are, either?" asked Goku.

"No, but they promised to explain once you got here." said Krillin.

"Yes, they did." Piccolo said, turning to face the pair. "So, do we get our explanations now?"

The boy and girl glanced at each other, then turned their focus back to the others again and the girl nodded. "Yes." she said, then sighed. "What we have to tell you may be hard to believe, but it's all true. We will tell you all that we can, but we can't tell you everything just yet. Some things need to remain secret for now, for reasons you will soon understand. You'll know enough, however, to prepare for what is to come."

"What's to come?" asked Gohan. "What do you mean?"

The girl paused for a moment, to gather her thoughts. They had decided before setting out that she would do most of the talking, it seemed safer to them that way, and so she had prepared a full speech to give when the time came. Now that it had, however, all of the words she'd planned to say were slipping from her mind before she could call on them.

"My name is Sakura," she began. "My friend and I are from the future. We have come back in time twenty years in order to give all of you a warning, and a chance. A chance to create a better world, a better future, than the one from which we come."

"The future?" asked Krillin, raising an eyebrow and clearly not convinced.

"Is that possible, Bulma?" asked Yamcha, looking over at her.

"I don't know, maybe." she said.

"I assure you, it is." said Sakura. She smiled a little, then. "In fact, it was Bulma who built our time machine."

"M-me?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. To give us, to give everyone, this chance."

"So, what are you here to warn us about?" asked Appla.

The girl sighed. "The world and time that we come from is... horrible. The Earth is a desolate wasteland now, completely devoid of life, after the Sai-jin Counterattack fifteen years ago. Many other worlds are in the same condition, or worse. And the entire galaxy has been taken over by the Red Ribbon Army."

"What!?" cried Goku. "But... how? I beat them years ago!"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, you did. But, while you stopped their leader and destroyed their main base, their head scientist, a man by the name of Dr. Gero, escaped. He has a... personal vendetta against you, Goku. When you put an end to the Red Ribbon Army you also put an end to his life's work, the Androids employed by them."

"He wants revenge." said the boy. "And so ever since his escape he's been working on creating the ultimate Androids for the sole purpose of killing you and taking over the world. In just under three years time, on May 9th, he'll complete his work and take over the Earth, after which he'll challenge you, Goku. You'll go to fight them, and they'll kill you."

"But... he's a Super Sai-jin now!" Yamcha cried.

"So am I." the boy said.

"But these Androids..." said Sakura. "Their power is incredible. In the seventeen years since they first appeared..." she closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists. "Our allies, our friends, our families, they've fallen and died, one by one. Just a few years after Goku's death only a handful of us were left. Myself and my friend, Gohan, Videl, and..." her eyes opened again, and met Hotaru's. "My mom."

Yamcha blinked. He'd thought it unusual that this girl had the same name as his new daughter... "Wait, you mean that... you're...?"

Sakura nodded. "Your daughter." she said smiling. "It's... nice to get to see you again..."

"In all these years," continued the boy. "No one has yet managed to defeat even a single one of the Androids. Everyone who has fought them has either barely escaped or been killed."

"About a year after the Androids first appeared, Vegeta was killed." said Sakura. "Which marked the start of what's come to be known as the Sai-jin Counterattack. Planet Vegeta and the Sai-jin race launched an all out war against the Androids. It also marked the start of the end of the Sai-jin race. Gero, annoyed by the incessant attacks by the Sai-jins, launched a campaign to wipe them out. A very successful one. As far as we know, my friend here is the last one."

"WHAT?!" cried Vegeta, eyes widening. "That's impossible!"

"It's true." said the boy. "Most of the race was wiped out in a single day, when Gero destroyed planet Vegeta. Only a few were off world at the time, and in the years since then all of the Sai-jins we know about have been killed, aside from me. And I'm only half Sai-jin."

"But, what happened to Gohan and Videl?" asked Goku. "You'd said before they survived..."

"For a while." said Sakura. "Vegeta wasn't the only world to be destroyed. Any world that resisted was either decimated or obliterated. Any world known to be harboring our families or allies faced the same fate." the girl closed her eyes, tears shimmering at their corners.

The boy laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder and continued the explanation. "Gero eventually tracked us to Tanaria. Videl stayed behind with Hotaru when the Androids came, to buy the rest of us time to escape. They died, making sure the rest of us got away."

"It was two years ago, when he tried to challenge them at their base and put an end to it at last, that they got Gohan." said Sakura, barely over a whisper. "Now... now it's just us. And we're no match for the Androids, not even close. Everyone else was so much stronger than us, and they never stood a chance."

"Which is why we've come back here." said the boy. "We can't change the future, but we can create a new one... and we hoped we might be able to find a way here to beat them in our time."

"What do you mean, you can't change the future?" asked Krillin. "Haven't you already changed it by talking to us?"

"No." answered Sakura. "Bulma explained it to us while she was still building the time machine. You can't change history. The past is set, what's already happened can't be altered. Time does not allow for the introduction of a paradox. However, by traveling into the past it is possible to create a divergent, alternate, history. A new time line branching off from your point of entry with a future that has yet to be written into history. We can't alter what has happened in our time, our history, but we can try and create a new one where things go better."

"Man, if these things are strong enough to beat Super Sai-jins, is three years really going to be enough time?" asked Yamcha.

"It has to be." Sakura said. "It's all we've got. We'd considered traveling back further in time than this, to give our warning. The machine has enough power to go back up to thirty years. But... today was the best option. Too far back and Goku may not have become a Super Sai-jin on Namek. Or Gohan and Bardock may not have transformed during the battle with Slug and his son."

"And we wanted to be absolutely certain that Frieza and his father didn't get to ravage the Earth this time." added the boy.

"Wait, what?" asked Hotaru. "Ravage the Earth?"

Sakura nodded. "In our history we weren't there to fight them as we did here. While the rest of you dealt with the soldiers who'd started to spread out, Gohan and Bardock attempted a surprise attack against Cold. But it failed, and they were both killed. Everyone else soon followed, and in the time left before Goku arrived, they and their remaining soldiers managed to wipe out a little over half of the Earth's population."

"No way!" Krillin cried, wide-eyed.

"Goku stopped them quickly, once he finally landed." said the boy. "The damage was eventually undone, Goku traveled to Namek to use Parunga to start reviving people. Once Piccolo and Kami were back Shenron was used as well, where possible. But it was a major blow once the battle with the Androids started. Once Piccolo was killed by them, there wasn't any way to bring him back again and the Earth's Dragonballs were lost."

"Wait, Parunga can only revive some once now, right?" asked Gohan. "But we revived Piccolo on Namek beofre Frieza showed up..."

"That was the old Parunga." said Piccolo. "Elder Guru's set of Dragonballs. Elder Moray's set is a new Dragon. He's never revived me before."

"But he has me." Krillin said, frowning. "And so has Shenron. Man, I didn't even make it to meet the Androids at all, did I?"

Appla glanced over at the short human and frowned, thinking about her own situation. She was in the same position as him. She'd been revived twice already, first by Shenron after being killed in the battle against Zarbon, and then later by Parunga following her death at Slug's hands.

"I didn't live to meet the Androids either, did I?" she asked. "I've been wished back twice, too..."

Sakura shook her head. "No. Neither of you lived beyond today in our time."

"Well, thanks for saving our skin, at least." said Krillin. "But can't we just find this Dr. Gero and take him and his Androids out now, before they attack?"

"If we had any idea where they are, but we don't." the boy answered. "We can't even be sure he's even on Earth right now, he cleaned out the Red Ribbon Army's bank accounts after they fell. He could have bought tickets to any planet in the galaxy, could have even bought his own space ship, or his own planet."

"I guess all we can do is wait and prepare." Goku said.

"We'll leave you to it." said Sakura. "We need to get back to our own time, in case our new base is attacked. We're not much, but we're all the others have for defense. Take care, and train well."

Goku nodded. "We will. Will you two come back?"

"If we can." Sakura said. "It takes a long time to recharge the time machine. If... if we're still alive we will come back and help you three years from now. If we don't come back... then you'll be the last hope."

"Wait..." Hotaru said as the two turned to leave. They stopped and looked back as the woman walked over to them. "You're... really my daughter?" Sakura nodded and Hotaru pulled her into a hug for a few seconds. As she released the other woman she turned and looked over to the boy. "You take care of her..."

"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe." he said.

"Bye." Sakura said softly as she and the boy turned and flew off.

The group stood in silence as they watched the pair fly off, no one saying a thing until the lights of their auras had faded away. Whlie he watched them go Goku mulled over what they said, and then something that they'd mentioned, that had slipped his notice at first, at last clicked. And so, he was the one to break the silence as he suddenly cried out in surprise.

"Wah! Wait a second!" he cried, turning to face his father and son. "What were they talking about when they mentioned you transforming, and who are Slug and Sanil?"

Bardock blinked, and then grinned. "A lot's happend while you were away, Goku." he said. "Both Earth and Tanaria were attacked. We had to deal with a powerful pair of Nameks, Slug and his son Sanil, here. During the battle against them, Gohan and I both transformed into Super Sai-jins."

"Oh, wow, really!?" Goku cried, excitedly. "So, how strong are you guys?"

Bardock's grin grew, he could see Goku was contemplating the training possibilities. "Not as strong as you were on Namek." he said. "About around where Frieza was earlier."

"That's amazing!" he said, then turned to look at Hotaru. "And Tanaria was attacked, too?"

She nodded. "On the same day as Earth, apparently." she said. "By Recoome and some more of Raven's people."

"Recoome!? But we beat him on Namek!"

"Apparently he got away, and got his power boosted by Raven." she said. "He was a lot stronger when he came to Tanaria than he was on Namek. I reached my transformation in the fight against him, and it almost wasn't enough."

"Wow. I'm sorry I missed it all." he said, clearly disappointed.

"I'm still worried about these people pulling the strings." said Hotaru, frowning. "I mean, they've already outright attacked us once, sending Recoome to Tanaria, and we still know next to nothing about them."

"Let's worry about the here and now first." Bardock said. "These Androids are a threat we can do something about."

"Bardock's right." Piccolo said. "We can worry about Raven and whoever she's with, and what their plans are, later." 


	4. Preparations Begin

A/N: Yes, that's right, double update today folks! Trying to make up for the long silence some...

Chapter Four - Preparations Begin

Goku nodded. "Ya, we should worry about what we can do something about for now..." he said. He then turned to the others and tilted his head. "What's with the outfits?" he asked looking from one person to the other. Only Piccolo and Vegeta were in their usual outfits.

"We were having a picnic before the Embassy detected Cold's ship." Bardock explained.

"Oh, that explains why Piccolo is dressed like normal." Goku said grinning. "He doesn't know how to have fun."

"Neither does Vegeta." Bulma said. "He's been keeping himself locked in his room all day since he got here."

Vegeta snorted. "Mind your own business."

"Touchy." Krillin said. "Anyway, Goku, what's with your odd clothes?"

Goku looked down at the unusual outfit he was wearing. A pair of dark red pants, a dark red shirt, and a dark blue vest with white trim. "Oh, this? Well... Elder Grivor gave it to me."

"Who?" Bulma asked.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain." he said scratching the back of his head. "I'm not too sure of all the details exactly myself. This guy that said his name was Elder Grivor just suddenly... appeared out of nowhere back on Namek. I guess he was an alien or something. Anyway, he rescued me and took me back to his world. He didn't explain much. Just said he'd been watching things on Namek and was grateful I'd stopped Frieza and once the battle was over he decided the least he could do was step in and rescue me. 

"Then he gave me his name and this new outfit, I guess it's the fashion there. After that he gave me an old space pod, I guess it crashed there a long time ago or something. Neither of us had a clue how to operate the thing so I just flipped a bunch of buttons and off I went. It took a while but I eventually landed on Planet Yardrat. The natives were really nice and smart too, they figured out how to work the pod and then programmed it to come here. They even repaired the outfit Grivor gave me, it got kind of torn up in my training."

"Wow." Krillin said. "Man, you had an adventure."

"Ya, tell me about it. It was fun though. The Yardrats aren't very powerful but they had some really neat skills so while they were figuring out the pod they taught me a few."

Yamcha grinned. "I knew you wouldn't come back empty-handed. So, what'd you learn?"

Goku scratched the back of his head again. "Well, they tried showing me a lot of them but... I only picked up three of them, and even then I can't do them completely right."

"So, what are they?" Gohan asked interested.

"Well, there's Restoration, Relocation, and Perception." Goku said. "They're pretty useful."

"Ummm, what exactly are they?" Yamcha asked.

"Well, the only one I can actually demonstate is Relocation so I'll leave that for last. Restoration is a way of healing your body quickly with Ki. Not just the mending we can already do but even so far as regenerating lost limbs. I can't do it that far yet, but I can fix cuts and even broken bones. But it's only physical healing and it uses up Ki to do too, so you can't recover lost energy."

"Wow, that's cool." Krillin said, wide-eyed. "What else Goku?"

"Well, the other one I picked up is called Perception." he said. "You put out what the Yardrats called an 'energy net' around you and it allows you to detect presences and movement."

"Can't you just sense that though?" Appla asked.

"Well, this works on anything." Goku said. "Like, the Yardrats had these little rolling robot things that cleaned their homes. I kept tripping over them and getting run into at first. But with Perception, even though they didn't put out any Ki, I was able to notice where they were so long as they were moving. It's not as effective as Ki sense but it can pick up things that Ki sensing can't."

"Neat!" Gohan said.

Goku nodded. "And the last one, Relocation."

"That's the one you can show us, right?" Yamcha asked.

"Yep! Want to see?"

"Sure!"

"Ok, here goes. First I need to lock onto a Ki... ah, Master Roshi! That'll do!" Goku cried putting two fingers to his head. "Later!" And with that, he vanished.

"Wha-where'd he go?" Krillin cried looking around. "I can't even sense hi..." The short Human was cut off as Goku suddenly appeared again, wearing Master Roshi's glasses. "Master Roshi's all the way around the world!"

Goku just grinned. "I can move to any location instantly, as long as I can find it by locking onto someone's Ki. Not quite got it perfected yet. I have to really focus, and I can only do it if I'm stationary. If I'm moving I can't seem to pull it off. I tried three times when I senesed Frieza nearing the Earth. But each time nothing happened..."

"Look." Bardock said gazing up. Everyone turned their eyes skyward and saw an odd object floating in the sky. It looked like three space pods had joined together, two in the front and one in the back. In each of the front pods was a window, and through those the gathered warriors could see Sakura and the boy. The two waved and then, in a flash of white, they and the machine, vanished.

"So, we've got a little under three years then." Piccolo said. "And then it's all or nothing."

Goku nodded, the cheery look on his face changing to a determined one. "Right. But... they didn't say where these Androids would appear..."

"Maybe they don't know?" Krillin said. "They did say they'd make an announcement. I guess we'll just have to wait for that."

"Right." Piccolo said. "Listen, if you don't think you'll be of any help come time, don't show up. We'll need to be fully focused and ready to deal with this. We'll fail if one of our own is holding us back."

"Just worry about yourself, Namek." Vegeta said turning. "Oh, and Kakkarotto... You better not get yourself killed by these Androids this time around. Once we've dealt with them you and I are going to have our own fight." With that he lifted into the air and flew off.

"Gee, grumpy as ever I see." Yamcha said watching him go.

Krillin nodded. "But what was that about? He wants to fight Goku?"

Bardock sighed. "That would be his pride talking. I doubt he likes that Goku is stronger than him, or that he beat him to becoming a Super Sai-jin."

"Ya but... you and Gohan are Super Sai-jins too..." Krillin said.

"But Goku was the first to beat him, Goku's the strongest of the three of us, and Goku only had a power level of two when he was born, the lowest birth power on record." The Sai-jin shook his head. "And Goku was the one who beat Frieza, even if it was that girl from the Future that killed him... had she not been here..."

"Vegeta's got the biggest ego of any Sai-jin I've ever met." Hotaru said looking off the way he'd gone. "Though, I guess being the weakest Sai-jin royal in known history probably stuck a bug up his butt."

"We should all go off and train, together." Bardock said after a moment. "We'll do better, I think, working in a group."

"You guys go without me." Yamcha said. "I wouldn't be able to keep up with the likes of you."

"Me either." Krillin said shaking his head. "I'll train with Yamcha."

"Same here." Hotaru replied nodding.

"Alright then, it's settled." Piccolo said. "We'll head off a bit further into the mountains where Frieza landed and train there for now."

Goku handed Roshi's glasses over to Krillin. "Give these back to Roshi when you see him." he said turning and lifting into the air.

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Capsule Corp:

Vegeta landed and saw just who he was looking for standing right out front of the building. "Perfect." he said grinning, walking up to Dr. Briefs. "I heard that Bardock and Kakkarotto trained in up to 150 times this world's gravity on the way to Namek."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. My gravity generator."

"How high can that thing go?"

Dr. Briefs furrowed his brow in thought. "Well, it can go up to five hundred, but I'm not sure if the machine could withstand that... why?"

"Because I want one. I need to get back to my training. I've been sitting around so much these last few weeks my power is starting to drop! How long will it take you to build a new contraption?"

"Well, actually Vegeta, you're in luck. I just finished building a new addition..." he pointed off toward a new dome off to the side of the main house. "There are three different gravity rooms, each with it's own machine. I thought Bardock and Appla might be interested, and Goku once he gets back."

"Kakkarotto is back..." Vegeta said walking off toward the dome.

"Oh? Well, wont Gohan and Chi-Chi be happy..."

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Roshi's Island:

"Master Roshi!" Krillin called as he neared the island, Yamcha and Hotaru flying along behind him. As he landed he saw the old martial arts master down on his hands and knees looking under his lounge chair.

"I've got ghosts!" Roshi cried, popping his head back up. "Goku's ghost! It just appeared and stole my sunglasses ten minutes ago!"

The three warriors started laughing as Krillin held out the sunglasses. "Actually, that was Goku. He's back."

Roshi took back his sunglasses and put them on. "Wait, Goku's back?"

Yamcha nodded. "Ya. He just landed a little while ago. Seems trouble isn't far behind though. We got a warning about a new threat coming in three years... one that we lose to this time. So we came by to see about more training."

"Er, well... there isn't much I can do for the three of you. You're all well beyond my level at this point." he said, putting his hands behind his back and looking at them. "Last time I talked to Dr. Briefs he did mention something about gravity rooms, you might find better luck at Capsule Corp."

"And be stuck around Vegeta all day?" Krillin said frowning. "Well, I guess there's no way around it. Being around Vegeta is better than ending up dead."

The three of them turned to take off again and Hotaru glanced over her shoulder at Roshi. "And would you stop staring at my chest every time I come by?"

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Son Home:

"You've got to be kidding Goku! You just got home and now you want to go off again training for three years? And what about Gohan's studies?" Chi-Chi cried.

Standing outside the small Son home Bardock and Appla grinned and Piccolo hung his head sighing. "The one battle Goku will never win." he said softly.

"She's definitely got a Sai-jin spirit." Appla said laughing.

"Well, you can forget it mister!" Chi-Chi's voice sounded again. "You can just go train with Piccolo and your parents on your own. Gohan can't grow up to be a scholar if he's constantly getting his brain knocked around!"

"But... Chi-Chi... we'll need his help training!" Goku pleaded. "If we don't stop these Androids then Gohan will have to spend the rest of his life fighting them!"

Chi-Chi opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Goku didn't realize it, but he'd just made the perfect arguement and her mind was processing it. Let Gohan train the next three years to help Goku and the others prepare so they could stop the Androids and then Gohan could spend the rest of his life studying... or have Gohan study for the next three years and then spend the rest of his life fighitng. Her shoulders sagged and she hung her head a little. "Alright Goku... you win. But just these next three years, you got that! After that it's back to the books!"

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Deep Space:

"This is... most interesting." the man hidden in the shadows said, his golden eyes glistening in the light from the monitors. "I always wondered how this other timeline progressed. And this Sakura should make things interesting too."

"So then, only three more years until we meet these famous Androids." Ravenna said looking back at him. "I still don't see how these people could possibly do this..."

"You need to give these Sai-jins and their friends more credit." Razor said walking into the room. "They'll free us, even if they don't know they're doing it."

"But... that level of power..."

"Is nothing your father can't manage on his own." Raven said. "But the power must be pure and it must exist outside our little prison. Since we can't leave, only influence things from afar, they are our keys to escape."

"Indeed." the man said standing, his tail wagging behind him a few times before wrapping around his waist. "It will be either Goku or Gohan who sets us free, I can assure you of that. The Shugotenshi will not be rid of us as easily as they seem to think." He turned toward Razor. "And we owe you for this opportunity..."

Razor shrugged. "Grivor always was a fool. Using a temporal prison on another Shugotenshi was a foolish mistake on his part. It may contain me but I can manipulate the field even from the inside." The man walked towards one of the monitors and watched as the two timetravelers vanished, returning to their own time. "Still, it's Raven's technology that allows us to do anything from the inside."

"And you're sure... these people can free us?" Ravenna asked.

Her father laughed. "Ravenna, you forget who they are, who I am, what blood they have flowing in their veins. Eventually either Goku or Gohan will generate enough energy to bend the fabric of time-space and enough pure energy to weaken the Black Field."

Ravenna turned to face her father, smirking. "Careful father, your ego's showing."

"He's right though." Razor said. "It's ironic, really. Everything the other Shugotenshi have done to protect the universe will actually be its undoing. Our presence and plans threaten the universe, and in turn, the Sai-jins. To counter this the Guardian powers have awakened."

"And it is those powers that let our plan work and that will free us." the man said. "And it is those powers that will bring the universe under our control. All we must do is wait."

"But how long?" Ravenna asked. "We've already waited five thousand years."

"Not much longer." Raven replied. "It shouldn't be more than another decade at this rate." She then turned to Razor. "Assuming, of course, all is going as planned in Otherworld?"

"Of course." he said grinning.

The man nodded. "Good, good. Soon we'll be free once more. I'm going to my chambers, contact me if anything of importance occurs." With that he turned and left. 


	5. Bulma's Idea

Chapter Five - Bulma's Idea

Piccolo, Bardock, Gohan, and Videl were all sitting atop a tall pillar of rock watching the spar before them with interest. Goku was currently flying backwards ducking and dodging as Appla's feet and fists flew at him at high speeds. She'd had the most trouble keeping up during the month since they'd started and had been thinking about training with Hotaru and the two Humans. 

The only one in their group she could easily match was Videl. But Goku and Bardock had talked her into sticking around, at least for the time being. And now she and Goku were having a little one on one match. Which, thanks to Appla's exceptional ability with the Kaio Ken, the female Sai-jin was winning. "Wah!" Goku's eyes went wide and he ducked quickly, the red blast of energy from Appla speeding over his head missing him by only inches. 

Before he could move again her knee smashed into his chest and knocked him back into another rock pillar bringing it crashing down around him. Groaning he pulled himself out from underneath the debris and gazed up at his mother who was panting lightly above him. "I can barely even keep up..."

Appla's red aura sputtered and then vanished. "I'm beat..." she breathed floating down and landing. "I never... I never imagined I'd be sparring at this level... But still, I was maxed out and you..."

Goku grinned and scratched the back of his head. "I was too and couldn't keep up..."

Appla shook her head. "You weren't using the Kaio Ken or transformed or anything. Not exactly the same Goku."

"She has a point." Bardock said floating down to them. "Still, you've come a long way Appla. You were never expected to pass 20,000 and you're already over 30,000 without the Kaio Ken. Over a million with it. That's beyond impressive."

"I just don't think it will be enough in the end." she said with a sigh. "I mean, you and Goku and Gohan are all Super Sai-jins and that wasn't even enough in the other time-line."

"Well, we've got warning this time." Gohan said. "Thanks to Sakura and that guy. So we'll be ready."

"Not if we stand around talking all day." Piccolo said. "While Goku gets his breath back we can do a couple more spars."

Bardock nodded. "Right. Videl, you're with Gohan this time." he said looking over to the young half Sai-jins. He then turned and looked at Piccolo. "You ready?" he asked grinning.

The Namek grinned and floated into the air above the rocks before taking a battle stance. "Whenever you are."

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Capsule Corp:

Hotaru ducked to the right, slipping around the kick from Krillin and then shot up over the punch from Yamcha. Fighting the two Humans at the same time was certainly giving her quite the workout. One on one she could handle them easily enough but these two on one spars were what really got them going. It proved the most challenging for her, and the most plausible for them. Her eyes went wide and she leaned back just barely dodging a kick from Yamcha. "You're getting fast." she said grinning before spinning around behind him and smashing her knee into his back. "But not fast enough."

Yamcha grinned as the gravity machine in the center of the room hummed on. "We'll see about that. Nibai Kinryoku!" With that he charged in at her again and the two began swinging at each other rapidly, both dodging or blocking the other's attacks. Krillin watched them go looking for a good opening but not finding one. After a moment he crossed his arms and frowned. The two had obviously gotten caught up in their little one on one.

"Alright, change of format!" the short Human called bringing the two before him to a stop. "You two against me."

"Against you?" Yamcha asked grinning. "Sorry Krillin, your days of being stronger than me have passed."

"Oh? Huh... I didn't know that." he said scratching the back of his head. "And here I thought I was a little stronger than you." 

Yamcha and Hotaru glanced at each other wondering what the short Human meant. "You're holding out on us, aren't you?" Hotaru asked at last.

Krillin grinned. "Just got the hang of it last night." he said bracing his body. "Nibai Kinryoku!" In a flash the silver aura flared up around him and Krillin's power shot up over both Hotaru and Yamcha's. Though neither were at their full power. Even so, Yamcha's maximum was just barely below that of Krillin's. And at their current levels, a two on one spar against Krillin would be the perfect workout.

The three warriors floated in silence for a moment, the only sound the continuing hum of the Gravity Machine. Then, Hotaru and Yamcha glanced at each other and Krillin recognized the faint glow in their eyes. They were using their link to talk telepathicaly. He took that as his cue to charge in and the spar was back on. The short Human used his size to his advantage. He was smaller and faster than both of them which made it easier to dodge around their attacks and land good solid blows against them.

He dodged to the left quickly and then blocked a kick aimed for his head, turned quickly and deflected the punch that had been coming at his back. His two opponents spun around as if to move behind him but instead lanced out with their feet and he was then caught off guard as two feet smacked into his stomach and knocked him back into the gravity machine. Hotaru and Yamcha landed as the dented machine sparked, whined, and then shut-down, the room quickly dropping from 50 times Earth Gravity to normal.

Krillin moaned and rubbed the back of his head as his and Yamcha's silver auras vanished. "That telepathic link of yours is cheating." he muttered, both of them laughing. Turning to look at the machine he sighed. "It's broken. Guess Bulma's going to have to fix it... Never thought we'd be the first to damage one though. I haven't even felt Vegeta training lately..."

"I haven't seen him for a couple of days." Hotaru said. "I don't know where he went... maybe he decided to find a more open training area? These rooms are decent size but he may have wanted more room..."

Yamcha shook his head. "And lose the benefit of the Gravity Machines? Not likely. I looked in on his training last week, he had the thing up to 180!"

"Not suprising." Hotaru said shrugging as the three of them exited the Gravity Room and started across the courtyard for the house. "That's only 18 times higher than what he's used to. But you do have a point... unless he went off to train with Goku and the others I don't see him passing up the use of the Gravity Machines."

"Are you talking about Vegeta?" Bulma asked from where she sat in her lounge chair sun bathing. "I doubt he's out with Goku. His ego's too thick to admit he could benefit from training with him, Bardock, and Gohan."

"So, any idea where he's gotten to?" Krillin asked.

"Not a clue. He comes back around sunset every day, his outfits have been so torn up I've just thrown them out. Don't know where he goes or what he's doing though."

"Guess he did just go out for more area." Hotaru said in thought. "Hmmm, I wonder... he could be developing a new technique. For something like that you'd need a lot more room than the Gravity Rooms offer..."

Krillin grinned. "Ya! Now that's what we need. Some sort of new super technique. Oh, hey, think we could learn some of those moves you and Yamcha mentioned? That Siko-Shinda and those other ones?"

Hotaru shook her head. "It's Shika-Shidou, and I doubt it. The Shika-Shidou uses mental energy and the only Humans I know of that can use that are Tien and Chaotzu. As for Aiko's moves... I don't really know anything about them." She sighed and looked up at the sky. "I still find it hard to believe..." she said after a moment. "Beings stronger than Frieza..." she shook her head. "We have to find a way to stop them somehow. We can't let them off the Earth, we can't let them take over the galaxy."

Bulma blinked and then suddenly sat bolt upright in her chair. "Hotaru, you're a genious!" she cried smiling.

"Huh?" the three warriors asked together.

"Keep them on the Earth!" Bulma said as though that explained everything perfectly. "I've been catching up on the technologies of the galaxy ever since the Embassy went up... the Sai-jins developed what they call a Barrier Field Generator, they use them mainly for containment of prisoners but also as a perimeter to their battle competitions. I'm sure father and I can manage to make something big enough to cover the Earth..."

"So, you're saying we trap them down here?" Krillin asked. "Well... that could work. At least if they can't leave the Earth, the rest of the galaxy is still safe, even if we can't stop them..."

Bulma nodded. "It's worth a try... Hey, Hotaru, how much power can one of your Erido Generators put out?"

"Hmmm, well, the Sai-jins have started using them to power their ships... so at least five thousand Vilors." she said. "I don't think we've ever maxed one out to tell the truth, we don't really use much energy on Tanaria unless there's something special happening, and our ships don't need more than five hundred Vilors..."

"Hmm, five thousand at least... and a Barrier Field Generator can cover an area of fifty-thousand square miles with that much power. This could be doable..." Bulma said, deep in thought. "Mind giving me a hand in the lab?"

"Sure, no problem."

"What about the Gravity Machine?" Krillin asked.

"I'll send someone up to fix it." Bulma said turning and walking into the building with Hotaru right behind her.

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Zulmai-Zubri Mountains:

Vegeta stood atop the mountain of ice upon a small ledge gazing down into the large canyon below him. He'd been coming to this frozen wasteland for a week now working on a few new attacks and working at perfecting and improving some older ones. The mountains had proven to be a far more challenging opponent than he'd expected. His blasts only made small cracks and breaks in the thick ice. At first it had been insanely frustrating, after all, it was only ice. But then he'd picked up on the faint energy emantating from the ice.

It didn't take long for him to track the source of the energy that flowed through the ice back to this canyon. He could barely make it out several hundred feet under the ice, a large building of some kind, completely encased in ice. It was the source of the energy that filled the ice and made it incredibly resistant to attack. He wasn't sure if it was accidental or on purpose but didn't really care. Now that he had a target he had a goal to work for. For the last four days he'd been chipping away at the ice around the lab and was now quite close to breaking through completely.

Once he had it open he figured he may as well explore it. If he was lucky it would be the location of these Androids they'd been warned about and he could deal with them now instead of in three years. With a grin he floated into the air above the lab and pulled his arms back and to one side, purple energy sparking up between them and then soon engulfing his entire body. Soon the purple light bathed the entire mountain range and seeped through the ice itself. He only charged for a few moments, he didn't want to accidently destroy the lab.

With a grin he thrust his arms down. "Gallick Gun!" The purple energy swirled, pulsed, flared, and then exploded down toward the ground in a thick beam as big as him. The signature move of the Sai-jin Royal Family slammed into the ice with a crash and sent sparks of energy out in every direction. He could feel the ice breaking, cracking, and melting beneath his beam but at the slowest rate yet. It seemed the closer he got to the lab the harder the ice was to break. It was understandable though, since the lab was the source of the reinforcing energy that filled the ice. It also only made the determined Sai-jin push on harder.

With a grunt he pulled his arms back a little and then thrust them back down. The energy stream grew thicker and brighter as it swelled even larger. He had to give this ice some credit. He was hitting it with enough force to completely obliterate the planet and was only making a little headway. A moment later he both heard and felt it. His energy stream was moving a little faster and there was a loud cracking sound echoing about him. Quickly he ended the attack, the purple stream of energy fading into nothing. He watched on in interest as cracks began to snake along the ice around the lab.

And then the ice began to glow blue and the mountain range began to shake. "Now this is unexpected..." Vegeta said watching the ice around the lab melt and shatter. A moment later the entire thing was free of its frozen confines. "Hmm, I guess the energy was meant to free the lab, not make the ice stronger... I guess the amount of ice was just too much and was causing it to have the reverse effect. Heh, well then, lets see who's inside that wanted out."

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Capsule Corp:

Bulma grinned as she moved from the blueprints she had just been looking at and back over to the large computer that took up one wall of the lab she was in. Her father was going over the data that was coming in from Tanaria while Hotaru spoke with King Vegeta. The Human was rather ecstatic about her recent discoveries. The power output of a single Erido Generator could manage an output of over fifty thousand Vilors and maintain that output, without recharge, for a period of about six months. However, fit them with solar panels and collector nets for recharge and they'd last forever.

Fifty thousand Vilors... that was enough power to generate a barrier five-hundred thousand square miles in size. The Earth was several thousand miles around so it would take multiple systems. They'd need a field larger than the Earth by a considerable amount to prevent interference and to keep the satellites that would be generating the field in orbit... She did some quick calculations in her mind to figure out how large a field they'd need. The Earth was approximately 197 million square miles in size.

Bulma sighed as she did the mental calculations. Considering satellite altitudes they'd need to cover a size of around 200 million square miles. At 500 thousand per system that would require 400 Erido Generators linked up each to it's own Barrier Field Generator. The good news was, according to the king, they already had a stock of five hundred Barrier Field Generators. Plus they were building more Erido Generators already, adding to the one hundered they already had. It'd only take a few weeks to develop the needed parts.

Her father even thought he had a way of strengthening the field's power with a few tweaks. Yes, this would all be very doable. In fact, by her estimates, they could have at least twenty of these complete planetary systems developed and ready by the time the Androids appeared. "Hey, Bulma..." Hotaru called over from where she was. "King Vegeta just... well, he came up with a small hitch to your plans."

"Oh?" she asked moving over. "What is it?"

"Well. The Barrier Fields only work up to a million. Beyond that and it is possible to break through. You mentioned you could strengthen the systems, but to get it to the level needed to contain something more powerful than a Super Sai-jin..."

Bulma furrowed her brow in thought. "You said the new scanners have read Bardock at around 18 million... no telling how strong he'll be come the Androids..." She sighed. "You're right. A field with enough strength to contain the Androids is out of the question. But maybe we can come up with something..."

"What about a Space-Time field?" Dr. Briefs suggested. "We install a Space-Time compressor in each Generator Unit as a fail safe. Should the barrier break at any point along it's area the Space-Time compressors could detonate."

"And create a temporary Space-Time Bubble around the Earth with a series of Space-Time Tears!" Bulma cried. "That could work. We'd need to manage the power of the Compressors, develop something new and stronger than current... or just pile up a hundred into a single Generator Unit. We'll also need to make sure the system is high enough above the Earth that the bubble wont effect the population."

"Um, what are Space-Time Bubbles and Tears?" Hotaru asked.

"Oh, well, it's simple really." Bulma said. "The Capsules use Space-Time Compressors to operate. Each Capsule generates a small compression field to create a controlled Space-Time Bubble. The Capsule is made of a material that can contain the bubble and there's a small computer inside that manages the field as well. It's called a "bubble" when a field of Space-Time is wrapped around an area of normal matter, such as what's stored inside the Capsule. If the Capsule is destroyed the Space-Time field is destroyed generating a tear in the fabric of Space-Time. Theoretically it's how Time Travel works... that aside, it's a barrier that nothing can cross. The abscence of Space and Time causes anything that enters to be destroyed at the atomic level, not even a Namek could survive that."

"Couldn't we use one of those to destroy these Androids then?" Hotaru asked.

Dr. Briefs shook his head. "An uncontrolled Space-Time Tear within a powerful gravitational and magnetic field such as a planet is asking for trouble." he said. "They feed on gravitational and magnetic forces to expand. When small enough it's not a threat, it'll disspate on its own, but if the field is large enough it'll continue to expand as it's pulled upon by the gravitational and magnetic fields of the planet until it reaches the Point of no Return. At that size it can't dissipate on it's own and not even our Reducer Fields can eliminate it. It'll continue expanding then until eventually it reaches a point were it generates a Nilron Flux Paradox."

"Nilron Flux Paradox?"

Bulma nodded and explained. "Think of it this way. You tear a hole into a piece of paper, that paper represents Space-Time. Now, your hands tearing at it are the gravitational and magnetic fields. As the hole widens it becomes easier to tear the paper because there's less resistance. Now, imagine that the hole gets so wide that it began to tear. The hole itself is made of nothing, but because of the pull created by gravity, magnetic forces, and the expanding of Space-Time, it's being ripped apart. How does nothing tear, though?"

Hotaru and the King both blinked, neither having an answer, but both fascinated by the explanation. Dr. Briefs continued. "You see, that's the point. You can't tear nothing. But since something has to give it tears anyway creating the Nilron Flux Paradox. The very edges of the Space-Time tear appear in the center of the tear. The tear is creating its own gravitational and magnetic forces at this point, from the inside. The tear wont stop expanding, ever. Until it reaches the edge of Space-Time. And then it'll implode, comrpessing all the matter of the universe down to a single atom in size."

"That." Bulma continued. "Will create an intense amount of heat and energy which will break the Space-Time field, cause a massive explosion, and restore the fabric of space creating a brand new universe. While it's not the end of existance it is the end of this universe and everything in it. Since we haven't a clue how big a Space-Time tear can be before it reaches the Point of No Return, we wont risk creating one inside the gravitational and magnetic fields of Earth. But around the planet, that's safe."

Dr. Briefs nodded again. "Exactly. That's why Black Holes don't expand into infinity. There's no external pull on the tear, only intense internal pull, and so they stop."

"But then..." Hotaru said in thought. "Wouldn't it stop eventually anyway? Granted, it'd take out this sytem at the least, but, the tear would stop, just like Black Holes do..."

Bulma shook her head. "Black Holes also maintain a material existance. Inside a black hole is a star. Small, strong, and bright. We just can't see it because the gravity is too strong even for light waves to overcome. Because of the material's existance, they're more like a bubble than a tear. They have a solid center, not a void."

"So no Nilron Flux Paradox?" King Vegeta asked.

"Exactly."

Hotaru rubbed her forehead as she absorbed the technical matters. She wasn't nearly as intelligent as Bulma or her father, she doubted there was anyone on any planet that was, but she did understand the basics of what they'd said. Tear on Earth bad, tear in space ok. "Alright, then if we make a barrier out of these tears surrounding the Earth, the Androids wont be able to leave..."

"It's only temporary." Bulma said. "It'll fade on it's own over time, without a strong enough external draw. But it'll give those off world time to put a new barrier up around the Earth..."

King Vegeta nodded. "That will work, I think. If it comes down to it we can maintain that system for several years while we come up with something more permanent." 


	6. The Training Continues

A/N: Sorry about that with the last chapter. Gah! That's the first time that that's happened and I've not caught it!

Chapter Six - The Training Continues

Vegeta floated down towards the lab and landed softly near what looked like the entrance. As he looked over the large door for the best place to blast an opening it suddenly hissed and then slid up allowing him entry. "Well, I guess someone's home." he said smirking and walking into the structure. As he passed into the building the door hissed again and slid back down into place with a loud click, obviously locking. He'd glanced over his shoulder and watched it slide down into place and smirked as it locked. 

Turning his attention forward again, lights began to flare up along the ceiling and floor lighting a path for him through the darkness. With a grin he started down the lit trail, his feet making soft clicking sounds on the cold metal floor. As he walked his eyes roamed back and forth in the large room he was in. There were tanks on either side of the lit path, each full with red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, or purple fluid and each with an oddly deformed creature floating inside. He was beginning to think that, perhaps, he was right, and this was where these Androids were.

After having gone quite a distance he came to a stop, a large set of double doors stood blocking his path. However, a moment later they began to whine and slide apart opening the way for him. As the doors clicked into the open position he stepped into the next room and cocked an eyebrow at the sight before him. There, standing before him, where several dozen grey creatures that looked a lot like cyborg Saibamen. "Intriguing."

"Biomen, attack." a voice echoed through speakers around the room. 

The little grey creatures shreeked and lunged toward Vegeta. The Sai-jin raised an arm toward them and waited till they were almost upon him. Then a blast of purple energy flared out from his palm and engulfed the creatures, destroying them. Lowering his arm he looked up into the darkness. "Is that any way to thank the person who freed you?" he asked smirking. "I mean, really, where are your manners?"

His only answer was the sound of another door across the room opening allowing bright white light to flood out. With a shrug he moved on and passed through the door. Now he was in another hallway lined with pillars and at the far end a set of stairs that lead up to another doorway. Standing atop those stairs were three unusal looking people. The one in the middle was large, yellow, and looked almost like a blob. A small and very ugly looking green guy. And a tall and muscular pinkish purple guy with red hair.

"So... are you the welcoming commitee?" Vegeta asked crossing his arms.

"We are Dr. Kochin's Bio Warriors." the green man rasped. "He's asked us to... test your abilities." 

With that the three of them lunged at him. Vegeta merely smirked. Only inches from reaching him, the Sai-jin sent out a rush of Ki that blasted the three creatures back toward the stairs where they'd come from. The three slammed into the wall and fell to the floor dead. "You call that a test?" he asked grinning. "Pathetic." Still smirking to himself he lifted into the air and then flew along the hall, over the bannister at the top of the stairs, and through the door.

There was a whoosh, thud, and click as the door shut and locked behind him. Vegeta landed and looked around the room he was now in. It was large, massive. At least a hundred feet high and a good seventy to eighty feet across. There was a computer terminal along the right wall, a glass window on the left that showed another room with more tanks full of fluid and creatures, and the wall across from him was distorted. Some sort of large device stood embedded into the wall, a glass dome atop it with some more fluid and something that looked like a giant brain inside it.

The room had five small podiums in it as well, around a tall metal column that reached up to the top of the room. The column was at least ten feet wide itself. The podiums seemed to be little more than raised surfaces. "So... this looks like a dead end... apparently this 'Dr. Kochin' took off... oh well. He's not Dr. Gero anyway, so it's not important." Vegeta turned to leave.

"Dr. Gero is a simplisctic and egotistcal moron." an old and wizened voice said. Vegeta stopped and looked over his shoulder as an old man emerged from behind the column using a walking stick to support his weight. "So sure in his mechanical abominations, that man." The old man shook his head as Vegeta turned to face him. "He never understood the true power of the biological realm. Yes. Living creatures possess far greater potential for strength than his wind-up toys could ever hope for."

"You must be Dr. Kochin... tell me, do you know where Dr. Gero is?" Vegeta demanded.

The old man shook his head. "I've not seen anyone in fifty years. Yes. Last I saw of him he was just taking over as Red Ribbon's head science officer. Beat me for the position he did, yes. I must say, I'm impressed you beat my Bio Warriors so easily."

"Hmph. Those... things were weak." Vegeta retorted. "I am the Prince of all Sai-jins, no genetic freak could match my power."

"Sai-jins? Hmm?" Dr. Kochin asked. "So then, it would seem Roshi is no longer the strongest in the world..."

Vegeta smirked. "That old fool? You really have been out of the loop for a while, haven't you? I'm far stronger than that pathetic old geezer."

"Yes. Yes." Dr. Kochin said grinning. "Come forward, closer, I can't see too well these days."

"What for?"

"Come, come, onto the platform. I must scan you, yes. Must know your power... To melt the ice of these mountains is no easy task."

Vegeta grinned. "Sure, why not." he said stepping forward and climbing onto a platform. The old man moved over to the computer and began pressing a few buttons. Suddenly the floor beneath Vegeta began to glow and an image of Vegeta appeared on screen, numbers appearing under him.

"Let's see now, let's see." Dr. Kochin said. "This is... beyond impressive, yes." he said after a moment. "My strongest work only has a power of 50 and yet you rank at 170.

Vegeta smirked again, he'd still yet to power up. "I'm not even at full power."

"Really? Well, he shall do nicely, yes?" Dr. Kochin asked turning to face the brain.

"Yes. With his body I shall be free of this wretched tank and I will have the power to take this planet!"

Vegeta instantly turned his attention toward the large brain, his eyes narrowing. "My body?"

Suddenly the white glow beneath his feet shifted to red as energy lanced up from the floor and wrapped around his wrists. "Dr. Kochin is going to transfer my consciousness into your body and yours into this brain."

"Hmph, I think not!" Vegeta replied. He went to move off the platform but found any kind of movement highly difficult. The energy that had wrapped about his wrists, arms, waist, legs, and chest held firmly and it felt like his feet had been glued to the floor. "What is..."

"Suspension system holding." Dr. Kochin said as he typed rapidly. "Engaging Transfer Connection Systems... TCS are online. Spirit Barrier Compensator engaged."

A new light flared up above Vegeta, this one green. As the light flowed over him he felt something... unusual. It felt like his energy was being moved and shifted, and he didn't like it. With a cry he pushed his power up to it's max and then let out a burst of Ki that shattered the energy bonds around him and destroyed the platform he'd been standing on. "My body is mine, not yours!"

"Dr. Kochin!"

"Yes." the old man said turning and raising his staff. Suddenly he thrust it forward and a stream of energy surged out toward Vegeta. The Sai-jin raised a single arm and caught the blast holding it off with ease.

"I don't have time to waste on you. I need to get back to my training. Get lost!" Purple light flared around his hand and then pushed back against the energy he was holding off and a second later slammed into and destroyed Kochin. "Hmph. Later." he said turning. Suddenly the room shook and he looked back and saw the device that the brain was in pulling free of the wall. "A robotic body, huh? Well then... I'll just blast this whole place to hell!"

Vegeta turned his eyes toward the ceiling and they flashed blasting a hole in it. He launched up into the air and then, once several hundred feet above the lab, began to charge a new Galick Gun. A moment later he cocked an eyebrow as the roof of the lab exploded and the large robotic body housing the brain began flying up toward him. The Sai-jin royal licked his lips. "Galick Gun Fire!"

The stream of purple energy surged down and engulfed the large machine driving it back down. As soon as the beam hit the lab, both exploded savagely. Relaxing, Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled down at the remains of the lab. He still didn't feel quite right, he wasn't sure what that green light had done exactly but it had changed something. He shook his head and took off to train elsewhere. Whatever it was wasn't important. If that guy had wanted his body then he wouldn't have done anything to him that'd be problematic.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Mountains:

Gohan was dodging back and forth in the sky avoiding Videl's attacks with relative ease. Every now and then he'd catch a glimpse of Bardock and Piccolo sparring and it'd distract him just enough that she'd land a blow, but other than that he wasn't having much trouble. Suddenly the female hybrid shot up and back, cupping her hands at her side. "Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"What?" Gohan cried, his eyes snapping wide. /When did she... how did she... who showed her.../

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" She thrust her arms down firing the Kamehameha. The blue energy stream wasn't very big, only about the size of Gohan's hand, but it still packed quite the punch. The boy was still too shocked that she'd even used the Kamehameha to move and the attack hit him square in the chest driving him back through six rock pillars and then into the ground. "Oh no, Gohan!" Videl cried ending her attack and charging down toward where he'd hit.

As she landed he was already climbing to his feet. "Ow... oh... when did you..." He stopped as he heard soft laughing off to the side and turned to look. There, floating down off one of the pillars, was Appla.

"I taught her while we've been sparring. She's part Sai-jin so she's a quick study."

"Are you okay?" Videl asked.

"Ya, I'm fine. You just suprised me..." Gohan stopped as a loud crack sounded through the winding canyons created by the towering pillars of rock. The sky went alight with a blinding flash of red and the ground shook. "What was that?"

"Felt like Bardock and Piccolo..." Appla said lifting into the air and taking off, the two children following. A moment later they saw Piccolo and Bardock floating in the sky over a large clearing, the pillars having been blasted away in the spar. The two warriors still had their right arms outstretched, their fists pushing against each other. Red and green energy sparked around them wildly pulsing, flashing, and flaring for nearly fifty yards around them.

"Wow... look at them..." Videl said softly.

Suddenly a streak of red came surging up from below and Piccolo pulled back from Bardock. The Namek began dodging quickly as Goku and Bardock both came at him, bright red auras pulsing wildly around them. The three warriors were moving far faster than Appla or the two children could follow. A second later another loud crack rang out, a flash of red washing across the ground, shaking the area, and knocking over more pillars.

Piccolo floated with one leg raised blocking Bardock's foot and one arm out holding Goku's fist. The Namek smirked and flew backward quickly, his hand reaching up and gripping his cape and turban and then pulling them off. As they fell toward the ground he pulled to a stop and then launched in at the two Sai-jins once more, his green aura trailing behind him. There was a resounding crack as his right fist smashed across Bardock's jaw sending the Sa-jin spinning and sailing away. Turning he launched a kick at Goku but it was blocked and then countered. A moment later Bardock was back in the fight and the two Sai-jin's powers had jumped up to match Piccolo's.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Capsule Corp:

Hotaru sighed and fell back onto her bed with a soft thud. Her brain felt like it was on fire. She was smart but she wasn't in the same league as Bulma or her father and the last hour had seriously drained her mental reserves. She could still feel Yamcha and Krillin sparring outside and the faint brushes of the larger powers far off in the distance still going at it as well. However, despite how much she wanted to sleep, someone else had other ideas. 

Just as her eyes closed she heard the crying start. With a groan she pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked over to the crib that Bulma had loaned her where Sakura lay. As she moved over and picked up her daughter her mind drifted back to that day a month ago. She still had trouble picturing the little girl she had now as the young woman who'd beaten Frieza.

She moved back over to the bed and settled down to feed Sakura when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Bulma." the woman called through the door. "Mind if I come in for a bit?"

"Sure, it's open."

Bulma came in and then closed the door gently behind her before making her way to one of the soft chairs and sitting down. She was quiet for a few momemnts, just staring at the ceiling, before she spoke. "Do you think we actually stand a chance?" She lowered her gaze and looked over at Hotaru. "These Androids..."

"I'm still absorbing it." Hotaru said. "I mean... beings stronger than Frieza and King Cold..." she shook her head. "You saw how easily those two from the future defeated them... and yet they don't even stand a chance against these Androids... it's hard to imagine... But we have warning now. We have a chance to get ready."

"I'll take that as a maybe." Bulma said leaning back into the chair and closing her eyes. "After you left..." she said after a moment. "I spoke some more with King Vegeta. We've got a Plan D sitting on the back burner now. You, Goku, and the others are all Plan A. The barrier is Plan B. We don't have a Plan C yet... but destroying the Earth is D."

"Destroy the Earth?"

"If there's no one left to fight the Androids... King Vegeta will send fifty of the Generators with the Space-Time Compressors into the sun. They'll detonate and cause the sun to go nova... That will take out the Earth and should destroy these Androids."

"But... the people?"

"Wished off-world." Bulma said with a sigh. "It's the best we've got as a fall back plan."

Hotaru nodded. "Let's just hope we don't need it."

"Ya..." Bulma went silent again as she opened her eyes and gazed out the window across from her at the blue sky. "Chi-Chi's probably going crazy home alone... I think I'll see if she wants to move in here for now..." Bulma stood and walked toward the door. "I'll talk to you later."

Hotaru nodded as the woman left and then called after her. "While you're at it, ask her if she's interested in babysitting!" 


	7. Man and Machine

Chapter Seven - Man and Machine

It seemed odd. So many people packed into one house and there had been little sound since they'd arrived. Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Bardock, Appla, Videl, Yamcha, Tien, Raditz, Hotaru, Hercule, Bulma, and Chi-Chi were all in at Capsule Corp. Those who'd not been staying there already for the passed few years, ever since the training for the Androids had begun, had arrived the previous day. The reason? It was now May 9th. Sometime today the Androids would finally show up.

"Where's Vegeta anyway?" Goku asked walking into the living room with a large bowl of chicken legs, his third one so far. "I didn't think he'd want to miss any of the fighting..."

Bulma sighed. "I don't know where he went to. He woke up a few days ago from Trunks' crying, woke me up to take care of him, and then left. Haven't seen him since..." As she talked she adjusted the small child in her arms. The fact she had a son had been quite a shock to pretty much everyone, aside from Hotaru at least. And while it was fairly common knowledge in the rest of the galaxy that she was the future queen of the Sai-jin Empire, Bardock and the others had been clueless right up until they met Trunks.

Everyone turned to look as they heard the door open and then close and a moment later Piccolo entered the room. "Just spoke with Kami, our escape plan is ready."

"Hopefully we don't need it..." Bardock said crossing his arms. "We've all trained hard since the warning came, come a long way. We should be ready."

"I don't know..." Goku said staring down into his bowl of chicken. "I mean, we've come a long way, sure. I'm a lot stronger now than I was three years ago... but... I'm not as strong as I could be."

"Don't worry Goku, we can handle these things." Appla said.

"Uh, guys!" Hercule called, getting their attention, as he pointed at the tv. 

The show that had been on had just been interrupted by a news report. After a few more seconds the 'This is a ZTV Special Report' splash screen faded away and the news anchor came on screen. "This is Ray Porter with a ZTV Special Report." he began as he adjusted the thick glasses he wore. "About ten minutes ago some sort of attack began in Capital City. A group of nine people have launched an attack against the world palace, and they seem to have some kind of robots with them. We go now, live, to Capital City."

The scene changed to a sky view of Capital City. The camera zoomed down to a view of the courtyard of the palace building. At the moment all they could see was a line of palace security standing there, arms held out, Ki charged and ready. And then suddenly they opened fire. A moment later a small purple skinned man floated into view, the energy blasts hitting him to no effect. After a few feet he stopped and raised his own hand, blue light gathered, and then the energy shot out and slammed into the midst of the security personnel before exploding and taking the entire defensive line with it.

The purple man then continued on through the courtyard and a second later more people followed, walking behind him at a lesiurely pace. A large man in green with an orange mohawk walking beside another large gray skinned man with black hair. Behind them came two normal sized people, a girl with blonde hair and a boy with black hair. Next came a large round really pale guy with a guy in a vest and ball cap beside him. Lastly came an old man with a tall hat and... "TAO!" Goku cried, eyes snapping wide in shock. He looked just the same as he had at the 23rd Budokai.

"Tao?" Appla asked looking at the screen. "You mean that guy you mentioned before... the one you fought as a kid?"

Goku nodded. "He's the one beside the guy in the big hat. I guess... this explains where his cybernetics came from all those years ago."

"That 'guy in the big hat' is Dr. Gero." Bulma said. "I'm sure of it, I've seen his picture in a lot of magazines over the years."

"I'm not sensing any major powers from Capital City." Piccolo said frowning.

"I guess, since they're machines, it's understandable..." Bardock said as the last of the nine left the frame of the image and then a line of robots came into view, walking five by five, side to side, across the courtyard.

"Oh man, more of those things!" Krillin cried.

"You've seen them before?" Bardock asked.

Hotaru nodded. "While you and Goku were dead, the others tracked a Dragonball to a base and those things were guarding it. As well as a 'Genetic Experiment' and an 'Android 10'." she explained. "But they weren't all that strong... of course, those one's were also bigger. These look a bit smaller, sleeker. Probably new models..."

"Well, this isn't the announcement we were told about, but I say it works." Piccolo said turning to leave. "We should get..." he was interrupted as a loud whine came from the TV and then the image got staticy and suddenly shifted. It was now a view of one of the rooms inside the palace. The camera showed eight of the Androids, a number of the robots, some civilian employees, and King Furry. The blonde female Android was holding one of the hostages.

The man Bulma had identified as Dr. Gero stood in front of the others, the only Android missing from the scene was the large round one. "This broadcast is heading out to all of the Earth and the galaxy beyond." he said, his eyes seemingly locked on the billions of people watching him. "I am Dr. Gero, the new leader of the Red Ribbon Army. I'm sure to those of you not from Earth that means little but those here understand just what that means. Yes, the Red Ribbon Army is not dead, it lives on. And now it controls this planet. My Androids hold far more power than any living creature could hope to achieve, resist and you will be destroyed. That said, I have no intentions at present to leave the Earth. I'm content with just one planet, but if anyone comes here I will not hesitate to spread out into the reaches of the galaxy."

Gero put his hands behind his back and was silent for a moment. "Now, for the next matter of business. Goku, I know you're probably watching this by now. I have something I need to settle with you, namely the near destruction of the Red Ribbon Army! So, you have half an hour to get here. If you're not I'll have one of the hostages killed, and one more every thirty minutes until you do arrive." He turned and looked back to the blonde Android. "As a demonstration of my sincerity... 18, if you would."

The man she held began to squirm even more than he had been at this turn of events. She looked at Gero for a moment and then at the man she held, her arm across his neck. But she made no move to harm him. After several long seconds the purple Android floated over to where she stood and stared at her for a moment. Suddenly her arm moved away releasing the hostage and the man quickly made a run for it. The purple Android raised his arm and blasted a stream of energy through the man's back and out of his chest killing him, still keeping his eyes, hidden behind his dark glasses, locked on 18.

"Hmm, well, thank-you 15. As for you, 18, I suppose I should have just left you and your brother off-line." Both her and the black haired Android stiffened slightly, the purple one and the tall gray one smirked a little. Gero turned his attention back to the camera. "As I said, Goku, you have thirty minutes." With that the screen went black for a moment, and then the signal returned to the news broadcast.

Goku had his hands clenched into fists. "Alright, time to do this." he said standing up. "Let's go." The others all nodded and followed him outside. As they emerged outside the sky overhead began to darken in a small area. And then a light began to flare up driving the darkness away and that's what caught the attention of those below. Looking up they saw an object taking shape and Goku smiled. "Hey, that must be them! They made it!"

A second later the time machine had appeared and it floated down to a landing outside Capsule Corp, the two occupants then emerging and returning the machine to it's capsule. "Goku." Sakura said nodding toward him and the others.

"You're just in time." Bardock said lifting into the air. "The announcement just came, we were just heading off to Capital City to deal with it."

"What?" the boy asked shocked. "Already? It shouldn't have been until around sunset..." He shook his head. "I guess our presence must have shifted things a little."

Sakura nodded. "Apparently. Well, let's get going... and let's hope we fair better here and now than the fight we had last month..." With that the group blasted off toward Capital City. All except Piccolo who took off towards the Lookout.

"What happened last month?" Gohan asked as they flew.

"Hmm? Oh, we had a run in with Android 16." Sakura said. "Did not go well at all. We barely managed to get away in one piece..."

Krillin sighed. "This still doesn't look good."

"Cheer up some Krillin." Goku said looking back. "We've trained a lot..."

"Ya, I suppose..." He sighed again and then looked over to the boy. "You know, we never did get your name before." he said after a moment. "Gohan and I got to talking a few weeks ago and have an idea... You're Trunks, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I am."

"Unreal!" Goku called looking over to him. "Wow, that's strange... we met you before you were even born!"

"Speaking of Vegeta." Sakura interrupted looking around. "Where is he?"

"No idea. He'll be along. There's no way he'd miss something like this." Bardock replied as Capital City came into view. "Alright, it's time guys. Here goes nothing."

Those in the city looked up and watched as twelve streaks of light flew overhead. Some white, some blue, one light purple, one red, and one orange. They moved quickly overhead and then descended to land just outside the palace where the remaing security had gathered along with the Earth Defense Corps division of the Sai-jin army. "Goku, Bardock!" one of them cheered seeing the group land. He was large and by his red skin, obviously not Human. Which meant he was the Squad Captain, since no Human had yet risen that high in the military and no aliens made up the lower divisions.

"Have your men pull back." Bardock said walking up to the smashed wall around the palace. "We'll handle this. In the meantime, evacuate the city, get all the civilians out."

"Yes sir." he said nodding and calling his men back.

"I'm here!" Goku called out, crossing his arms. "Now let the people go!" 

There was silence for a few moments and then a group of civilians came running out of the palace. They were followed seconds later by Gero and his Androids. "Ah, Goku. Finally we meet face to face." Gero said crossing his arms. "How I've waited for this day! Now you'll pay for destroying my work and ruining my funding. It took the entirety of the money I had left just to get my little army up and going."

"Too bad all of it's gone to waste... I'll give you one chance to end this now." Goku said calmly.

"Oh, you will, will you? Well, how nice of you. However, I have no reason to. Bodies made entirely of flesh and blood are frail. They could never hope to match the power of my creations." Gero smiled. "I know that you can't match my Androids. I've studied you, followed you, watched you, learned your secrets and plotted for your power growth. And I adjusted and modified my designs accordingly. 

"I have complete data on you... and your friends. Your fights in the Buodkais, spars against Piccolo, and the battle against Zarbon. They revealed everything I need to know. There isn't a contingency I am not prepared for. You stand no chance."

"Is that so?" Bardock asked. "So just how complete is 'complete'? You ended your little rant with Zarbon... tell me, did your studies follow us to Namek?"

"There was no need. I learned everything I needed to by then. When the two of you left for Namek I shut down my monitoring equipment and closed my lab off so I could work uninterrupted."

"So, you didn't even see Slug's attack?" Bardock asked smirking.

"Anything that occured after your depature for Namek I was not witness to and have no knowledge of." Gero replied.

Goku grinned. "Then your data is far from complete."

"Oh? Is that so? Well, I made all the needed calculations to take into account the time between then and now and the gains in power you would make. And then I enhanced my designs far beyond even that to compensate for any unknown means of aid you may receive. I assure you, I am quite prepared. Now, let's get this over with. 19?"

The pale round Android stepped forward from the others. "I have all of your data committed to memory." he said in his mechanical, high pitched voice. "Let us begin."

"Stand back guys, I'll handle this." Goku said taking a step forward. The others all moved aside as Goku braced hismelf and began to channel his energy. "Now, here's one thing you couldn't have planned for..." he said, eyes moving from Gero to 19. With that he let out a cry, a rush of wind and power washing up around him and blowing his Gi and hair about. His hair began to glow and then flashed gold, his black irises faded away and then returned as a teal color. In a matter of seconds the change was complete and Goku took a fighting stance.

"My, you have managed to power up quite a bit, haven't you?" Gero said raising an eyebrow. "An impressive technique, but it wont help you in the end. Even 19, the weakest of us, can still take you at this level."

"It's not a technique." Goku said grinning as he glanced at Gero again. "It's a transformation called Super Sai-jin." His eyes shifted back to 19 then. He was a bit worried still. The others didn't seem to notice it but he could tell. He should be stronger than he was and he wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't. He also didn't like how confident Gero was. It was possible that he had a means to measure his power, which seemed the case by his remarks. If so... his attitude at the power of Super Sai-jin was not a pleasing reaction. Well, only one way to find out. "Get over here and let's see how good you really are."

19 smirked and then launched in at Goku. The Sai-jin brought his arm up quickly and blocked the punch aimed for his head with a crack, the impact cracking the concrete beneath his feet. He then brought his knee up slamming it into the Android's chest and knocking it into the air. With that he charged up after it. The pale machine recovered quickly and blocked the incoming punch before launching one of it's own. It and the Sai-jin continued to exchange blows and attempted blows in the sky above the city.

"Wow, look at that!" Krillin cried wide-eyed. "They're even!" Yamcha nodded as he tried to follow the fight with his senses. At least, the half he could sense. He didn't much like the implications of Goku and the Android being evenly matched. Epecially since it was supposed to be the weakest of them. A loud crack sounded as Goku's foot smashed into the back of the Android and sent it down into the sidewalk.

Goku cupped his hands at his side and began to gather energy. /I wish there was a way to get this fight out of the city... especially one as large and populated as this one./ he thought as he watched the Android stand up and looking up at him, a determined and angry look on his face. "Ka. Me. Ha. Me. Ha!" He thrust his arms down and the blue energy between his hands flared and the wave then launched down at the Android.

19's expression shifted insantly to a broad smile as the energy surged down at him. With a grin he thrust his arm up at the last second and caught the attack with one hand. Instead of slamming into his hand the energy began to flow into it. "What the... the energy... it's absorbing it!" Appla cried in shock.

Goku's eyes widened in suprise as well and he stopped the attack. "No way!"

19 continued to smile. "I may be the weakest Android but I can absorb all of your energy and become even stronger!"

Goku frowned. "Not if I don't use anymore of it."

The Android's grin widened. "Doesn't matter." Suddenly it launched up at him again. Goku moved out of the way of it's kick and it slipped around behind him slamming its elbow into his back knocking him downward a few dozen feet and charging after him. Goku turned around and backhanded the machine at the last second knocking it away. It came to a stop quickly, faster than Goku expected, and then charged at him again slamming its head into his stomach doubling him over.

It then reached out and grabbed Goku's neck with one hand. The Sai-jin reached up and grabbed the Android's arm with both hands as he felt the unusual sensation of his energy being sucked from his body. "Let... go..." he grunted trying to pry the hand off his neck. The others could already feel Goku's power dropping quickly.

"We have to do something!" Gohan cried.

There was a flash of gold as Trunks transformed. "I wont let this world fall like mine!" he cried launching up toward the Android and Sai-jin. Gero narrowed his eyes and was about to send one of the other Androids up to deal with Trunks when a stream of blue energy zipped down from the air between the Super Sai-jin and the battling pair bringing the Time Traveller to a stop.

Everyone started looking around for the source of the energy and then heard a loud crack. Looking up they saw Vegeta's foot planted firmly on the side of the Android's head for a split instant and then the Android was sent careening away and into the palace building, its grip on Goku breaking. The Sai-jin reached up and rubbed his sore neck.

"You're not doing a very good job so far." Vegeta said smirking.

"Nice of you to show up." Goku said panting as 19 flew back out into the open.

"I think I'll take this from here, you've lost quite a bit of your energy."

Goku floated there for a moment and then sighed. As he did his hair fell back down. "Be careful Vegeta." Goku said floating down to the ground. 

Vegeta's smirk grew. "Of course." Trunks stayed in the air a moment longer and then powered down and landed with the others again. Vegeta just continued to smirk.

"We're not after you." Gero said looking up at him. "Goku's the only one we care about. However, get in the way, and I have no problems with killing you as well."

Vegeta's smirk grew again. "I don't think so. You wont be spilling any Sai-jin blood today, or ever." There was a bright flash of gold as he transformed and crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his now teal eyes up from Gero to 19. "Whenever you're ready..." 


	8. Fighting a Losing Battle

Chapter Eight - Fighting a Losing Battle

"Most interesting." Gero said raising a hand to his chin. Bardock's eyes narrowed as he noticed a faint momentary glow to the Android's eyes. "Stronger than Goku, but not as impressive an increase."

"Of course I'm stronger than Kakkarotto." Vegeta said with a smirk. "After all, I am the Prince of all Sai-jins and he is nothing but a low class warrior."

"Be that as it may." Gero said. "I am still impressed that a living creature could attain such power on it's own. To surpass the power of one of my Androids, even one as weak as 19... that is quite the feat. However, thanks to Goku's energy you still stand no chance in this foolish endevour."

"We'll see about that. I doubt your wind-up toys will last long against my power."

"Very well then. 19, get him out of the way."

"It would be my pleasure." the Android replied glancing back at Gero and then launching in at Vegeta. The Sai-jin Prince dodged quickly to the left just a missing punch that had been aimed at his head. As he did he brought his knee up quickly slamming it into the round machine's chest before slamming his clasped hands down into it's back driving it into the sidewalk. As the dust cleared away it revealed the Android already back on its feet and just staring up at Vegeta.

"That all you've got? Ha! Pathetic!" he called down grinning.

Lines began to dance across 19's eyes as it started to smile. "You have no record on file Vegeta. Nothing beyond the data attained from the Galactic Network. This is the first I have encountered your style. You were never studied and so I must learn as we fight. Do not worry though, Vegeta. I am a fast learner."

"Ha! You can study me all you want. Mere calculations are nothing compared to true experience. You can't comprehend my power that way."

"We shall see." 19 replied. "But as I said, I learn quickly. Allow me to demonstrate." It turned and started to cup its hands at its side, to the shock of all the Z Fighters. Smiling it spoke again. "Kame... hame... ha!" With that it thrust its arms up at Vegeta and fired the stream of blue energy straight at him. It took the Prince several seconds to recover from his shock and by then he knew he couldn't dodge or counter. Quickly he brought his legs up, crossed his arms, and ducked his head just before the energy slammed into him.

The energy flowed out over him for a long moment, the Z Warriors on the ground watching wide-eyed. And then the attack faded and the glare died away. Vegeta uncurled his body revealing the extent of the damage done, which was considerably minor. The toes of his boots and the fingers of his gloves had been shredded and there were a of couple gashes in his body suit here and there but nothing more. He scowled down at the Android for a moment before suddenly charging down at him in a flash of gold.

A second later there was a bright flash followed by a loud crack as Vegeta reached his opponent. The sidewalk under 19's feet shattered and exploded outward from the force of the impact. Within the dust from the explosion they could all hear more cracks and see more flashes of light as the two inside continued to trade blows. A loud sound like thunder rung out a second later blasting apart the remaining dust and revealing 19's right arm up blocking a kick to its head and its left first buried in Vegeta's stomach. The Sai-jin Prince's mouth hung open in a mix of shock and pain.

A blue glow flared up around 19's fist and then Vegeta was sent flying away by a point blank energy blast. The Android grinned as it lowered its arms and relaxed its stance as Vegeta hit the ground with a thud. "I have learned your style." it said simply as the Sai-jin climbed back to his feet. "I now know what you will do before you do Vegeta, you cannot win."

Vegeta's scowl shifted to a smirk as he brushed some blood off of his chin. "Is that so? I doubt that. You're still just a wind-up toy, nothing more than a toaster with legs." He crouched and then shot in at 19 but the Android dodged around his kick easily. The Sai-jin pulled back and turned at the same instant rounding back on the Android. He lanced out with a right punch but that too was dodged. As was his left hook, right spinning kick, and every other attack he made.

"This doesn't look good..." Bardock said watching the large round machine dodging the Prince's assault. It seemed to be having increasing difficulty but was still doing a good job of not getting hit.

Goku nodded in agreement. /Even Gero noticed it. Vegeta is stronger than me but his power increase when he transforms is smaller. His Super Sai-jin form is only a little stronger than mine... why is that/

Suddenly Vegeta spun around behind 19 and smashed his foot into the Android's back knocking it forward. As the Android pulled to a stop Vegeta grinned. "Like I said, you're nothing compared to me."

19 turned and smiled as well. "It would seem that your style changes as you get angry." it said softly. "No matter, I now know to expect that."

"Hmph. Expect what you want, you'll still lose."

"We shall see." With that the Android charged toward Vegeta. The two locked into combat once more trading blows furiously and slowly drifting up higher and off away from the palace.

"I still don't like the looks of this." Bardock said after a moment. "Prince Vegeta's not doing as well as Goku did... and we know how that fight turned out."

Goku nodded. "I don't think we can win this here and now..." Goku was cut off by a loud explosion as Vegeta slammed into the ground a couple of blocks away. Up in the air, 19 pulled his arms back, grinned, and then started firing a volley of energy down at him. The Android kept up the attack for a moment and then raised its arms above its head. A large ball of red energy formed quickly and it thrust its arms down firing the attack.

As soon as it hit the energy swelled and then the exploded. The shockwave tore passed the Z Fighters shredding the buildings around them and sent the cars on the street sailing into the distance. As the light and dust faded away it revealed an area three blocks across that was nothing but a massive crater slowly filling with water from the destroyed pipes. There was a flare of gold from under the water and then it and several hundred pounds of rock were flung into the air as Vegeta surged up at 19.

The Android charged down at the same time, slipped around Vegeta's fist, and smashed his open palm into the Sai-jin's face. The Android didn't stop until it had slammed Vegeta's head into the ground. It then sat on him and held it's hand firmly in place over the Prince's face and continued to drain his energy. "Soon all of your energy will be mine, and then you will be dead."

"Not good." Goku said as he transformed and then shot toward 19 and Vegeta. None of the Z Fighters even saw the Android move but a second later there was a thunderous crack and Goku was knocked flying back to come crashing down at Gohan and Bardock's feet. The little purple Android now floated between them and 19, it's fist outstretched.

"D... dad!" Gohan cried kneeling down beside him. Goku groaned and started to push himself back up into a sitting position having already fallen out of Super Sai-jin. "Are you okay?"

"Wha... what hit me?"

"That purple Android..." Gohan said turning to look at it as it finally lowered its arm. And then it began to float toward them.

Bardock moved to attack the Android when suddenly the blonde one appeared in front of the purple one. "18!" Gero called from where he stood. "I grow tired of your insubordination!" 18 remained quiet but didn't move from where she floated. "Once this is over I'm going to have to shut you down, see if I can adjust that control protocol of yours." At this her eyes narrowed slightly but still she didn't move.

That is, until 15 shot forward and smashed his fist into her stomach doubling her over. He then kicked her knocking her down into the street. With the roadblock disposed of, 15 shot in at Goku. Instantly Gohan and Bardock transformed and charged at him but he zipped passed them faster than they could even see. Reaching Goku he pulled to a stop and held a hand out. There was a spark of light purple around his hand and then a blast of energy surged forth and tore into and through Goku's chest.

"D...d... daddy!" Gohan cried, his eyes going wide.

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Kami's Lookout:

Piccolo frowned as he watched the battle unfolding below him. He didn't like being up on the Lookout away from the fighting but since they'd been uncertain of their chances it had been decided that ensuring the Dragonballs existance would be a better option than Piccolo being in the line of fire this time. And now that 19 was dodging all of Vegeta's attacks he knew that it had been the correct choice, even if he still didn't like it.

"Things do not look good." Kami said, echoing the statement made by Bardock a second earlier. 

Piccolo remained silent as he watched Vegeta seemingly regain control of the fight. And then, a moment later, Vegeta was knocked to the ground and being bombarded with energy. "No, they do not." the powerful Namek said at last, a bright light flaring up in the distance, the explosion caused by Android 19. "We'll give Vegeta a few more..." he stopped as the Android drove the Sai-jin Prince back into the ground. He watched with interest as 15 made it's first move and then 18 stepped in between it and Goku. And then his eyes snapped wide as he witnessed Goku's death.

Kami bowed his head slightly and then closed his eyes. -Azura, things have fallen apart quickly... Goku's even been killed...-

-Understood Kami.- came her telepathic reply. -We will do it now-

-Thank-you.-

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Planet Namek:

Azura opened her eyes and turned to face the young Dende who had asked to be the one to summon Parunga. "It's time, they need our help. And Dende, you need to have Goku revived first as well."

"Goku was...?" he started, wide eyed, and then nodded. Quickly he turned to the Dragonballs and spoke in Namek. "Arise Eternal Dragon Parunga!" The sky darkened quickly as the balls began to glow and then the energy rose into the air. A moment later the large Eternal Dragon of Namek loomed overhead.

"You have three wishes, what is it you desire?" he boomed.

"Parunga! Revive the Sai-jin called Goku!"

Parunga's eyes glowed for a moment before returning to normal. "It has been done, what is your next wish?"

Dende nodded. "Alright, now, move him and his allies to the Earth's Lookout!"

Once more Parunga's eyes glowed. "Granted."

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Earth, Capital City:

Gohan charged down to where his father lay and landed beside him, his eyes locked firmly on the large hole in the Sai-jin's chest. And then a moment later the hole vanished. Gohan blinked temporarily confused, and then he remembered their escape plan if things went badly and realized they must have used Parunga to revive Goku. As realization dawned on him the city around him vanished in a blur and he was up on the Lookout. And then Goku groaned and sat up shaking his head.

"Welcome back Goku." Piccolo said walking over to the small group. As his eyes drifted from the Sai-jin over to the others they suddenly stopped. There was someone sitting in the midst of the other Z Fighters that he'd not expected to see...

Before he could say anything, however, Vegeta suddenly sat bolt upright with a cry and panting heavily. "Ugh... when I get my hands on that... what the?" he cried looking around. "Where the hell?"

"This is the Lookout." Goku said climbing to his feet. "Kami must have had Azura summon Parunga and wish us up here... I guess things were going badly."

"That's an understatement." Hotaru said with a sigh.

"Oh, hey!" Goku said suprised. "Aren't you one of the Androids?"

This instantly drew everyone's attention to what only Piccolo had noticed before. 18. "I'm not an Android. I'm a Cyborg." she said softly as she, too, climbed to her feet and looked around. "Where is this place? I don't have any information on it at all... and my scanners aren't working..."

"How did she get here?" Yamcha asked, eyes widening, as he took a step back away from her.

"Relax Yamcha... she's one of the good guys." Goku said smiling. "You saw her on TV, and then she got between that other Android and me."

"It's... possible..." Sakura said after a moment. "Mom said that two Androids had been destroyed in the inital battle, neither of them by us."

"Huh?" Gohan wondered.

Trunks nodded. "She said that one of them had tried to help after both Piccolo and Goku were killed and that gave the others time to pull back. She said the Android that had killed Goku and Piccolo had been destroyed by the other, and then Gero destroyed that Android."

"Well, I am as good as dead now." 18 said after a moment of silence. "What the hell was I thinking? As soon as Gero finds me he'll use that damn remote... if he doesn't destroy me outright he'll either leave me off-line or screw around with that damn control protocol of his..."

"Wait, there's a way to shut you down?" Trunks asked, his eyes going wide with hope.

18 nodded. "My brother and I both. Since we're Cyborgs, originally normal Humans, he was worried we might not follow his orders so he implemented two failsafe systems. The control protocol and an off switch to our cybernetic parts. The protcol is a joke, always has been. 17 and I have been able to override it easily after each upgrade but... that damn switch..."

"So..." Sakura began, her own hope fading. "That wouldn't work on the others?"

"No."

"How... how did you...?" Krillin started tenatively.

"It's a long story." 18 replied finally turning to look at the others. Her gaze lingered on Trunks and Sakura for a moment but then she shook her head.

"We can hear it in a moment." Piccolo said turning to face Kami and then nodded.

Kami nodded as well as he closed his eyes. -Bulma, this is Kami. The others are all up here... it seems they're not ready yet.-

-I saw on the TV. Dad and I have already got the system up, we're about to launch.-

Opening his eyes Kami looked over to the others again. "It'll only be a moment longer." No one said anything, just stood there in silence. And then a moment later they all saw streaks of light and smoke surging up into the air across the planet. They watched until the objects reached orbit. Red streams of energy snaked across the sky between the objects and then spread out until a red glow filled the entire sky.

"And that makes it offical." Krillin said. "We're in over our heads..." 


	9. A Temporary Reprieve

Chapter Nine - A Temporary Reprieve

"I thought it was a Virus?" a female voice said, somewhat confused, as the owner gazed at the large screen.

"Things change when time is altered." replied the voice of her father. She turned back and looked at him, what she could see of him in the dark shadows. "You heard Goku when he returned to Earth. Grivor rescued him."

"Yes, but he still wound up on Yardrat." Ravenna said. "So how come he didn't get sick?"

"He arrived in a different area." Razor explained. "He was not exposed to the virus this time. Not that it seems to have made any real difference. He was still killed."

"And then revived by the new Eternal Dragon of Namek." said Raven. "I believe the rules now are similar to those of Earth's, are they not?"

"Indeed." said her mate. "Which means the next time Goku dies... it's permanent. Helpful to us at least."

"If he lives long enough to help us in the first place." Ravenna said. "I'm even less convinced now than I was before. They're decently powerful but still..."

The man in the shadows smiled lightly and stood. As he walked into the soft glow from the numerous monitors in the room his furry tail flicking behind him and then wrapping around his waist the lights glinted off his red and black armor giving it a glowing appearance. "Don't worry, everything's still going as planned." he said as he reached her. "Things should be far more interesting now though. We're in uncharted waters at this point."

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Kami's Lookout:

Silence had filled the Lookout once more, after Krillin's statement. All eyes were still locked on the barrier above them. It was 18 that finally broke the silence. "I don't understand... it seems like you were prepared for this..."

"We were." Bardock said. "Thanks to them."

18 looked over to the two she had no records of. "How?"

"We're from the future." Sakura said walking to the edge of the Lookout and looking down at the Earth. "Trying to make a new world, one not destroyed by Gero and his creations."

"The... future? Well, that explains why I don't have a file on either of you." she said turning her gaze skyward. "I don't think you'll be able to do anything though. 19's the weakest and you couldn't defeat him... then there's the rest of them."

Vegeta snorted. "If Kakkarotto hadn't let that... thing... absorb his energy I could have handled it no problem. All I need is one of those Senzu Beans and then I'm going back down there!"

"No, she's right Vegeta." Piccolo said. "As we are now we stand no chance against the Androids. But... there is something we can do about it..."

Kami nodded. "In dire circumstances such as this... I will go and unlock the door to the Room of Spirit and Time." With that the old Guardian walked off.

"Room of Spirit and Time?" Videl asked. "What's that?"

"I know!" Goku said. "It's not really a room, it's another whole dimension. A little pocket of infinite nothing."

Piccolo nodded. "That's basically it. The gravity and temperature fluctuate wildly within the Room. The further you go from the entrance the more intense it becomes. If we're not ready after a day in there... we'll never be ready."

"A day?" Krillin asked. "How could one day possibly help if three years wasn't enough?"

"Time goes faster in there." Goku said. "You can train for an entire year in just a single day, and with the intensity of the room..." Goku shook his head. "I was only able to stay in there a month as kid."

"So, we all go in and train then?" Appla asked.

"We can't all go in." Piccolo said. "The space is infinite but the supplies are not. There are only four beds and enough food for four people. We can only do four at a time."

"I'm going in first." Vegeta declared.

"Sure." Goku said smiling. "Um... hey Trunks, why don't you go in too?"

"Huh? Ya, sure."

"I'm going in too." Sakura said with a nod.

"Then I'll go as well." Hotaru said.

"Alright, it's settled!" cheered Goku. "Vegeta, Trunks, Sakura, and Hotaru will make the first group!"

"I'll lead you back to the room." Piccolo said walking off, the four of them following him.

As they left Goku looked over those that remained. Himself, Bardock, Gohan, Appla, Videl, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and the still silent Raditz. "That leaves ten of us, counting Piccolo." he said. "Knowing Piccolo he'll probably want to train alone..."

"How about you, me, Gohan, and..." Bardock started.

"I want to go too." Videl said, suddenly. "I want to help."

Goku looked at her for a moment and then nodded. He didn't know anything about genetics or biology or bio-chemistry but he did know power. Half Sai-jins had power. It could possibly come down to one of the absurdly powered Half Sai-jins to win this battle, and with Trunks already training it only made sense to take both of the remaining Half Sai-jins in with the second group. "Alright. The four of us will make the second group."

"I'll see about going in with Piccolo." Appla said. "That leaves you four as group three." she said looking over to Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Raditz.

"I should go." 18 said breaking the silence. "Gero could be able to track me here... or worse, set off the bomb in me..."

"You've got a bomb in you?" Krillin cried shocked.

18 laughed softly. "A last resort controlling method. Fear of death and all... only these days... I don't really care anymore." She lowered her head and turned from the group to leave.

"Wait." Goku said, his voice serious again. "Gero can't track you here, you can only find this place if you know it exists. You're safe here..." Suddenly he started to smile. "And there might be something we can do about that bomb, and that shut off thingy too!" With a smile still on his face he put two fingers to his forehead and then suddenly vanished.

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Namek:

It had been a few minutes since they'd summoned Parunga and the large Dragon still loomed over their heads. They had yet to get the go ahead to dismiss him and didn't want to do it early, in case the Earthlings still had a wish left. Suddenly Goku appeared in the midst of those standing around the Dragon. "Hey guys!" he cheered waving.

"Goku! What are you doing here?" Dende wondered.

"Well, Piccolo and Kami were busy so I decided to come here myself for the last wish."

"So, you do have one then?" the large Dragon boomed. "I do not have all day, what is your final wish?"

"Um... how to phrase this..." Goku wondered, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Do you think he'd grant a two part wish as one?"

"Ummm, I don't know." Dende replied.

"Well, I guess it wont hurt to try. Have him remove the off switch and the bomb from 18."

"Huh? Well... ok." the young Namek said with a small nod. 

Turning he looked up to Parunga and spoke in Namek. A moment later the Dragon's voice rang out once more. "Your wish... cannot be granted. Only one thing can be done at a time."

"Ya, I thought so... hmm... oh, hey! She said she used to be Human! Dende, ask the Dragon to make her Human again!"

Once more the Namek nodded and spoke in Namek and once more the Dragon's voice rang out. "That cannot be granted either."

"Huh? Why not?" Goku asked pouting slightly.

"It is simply beyond my power."

"Sheesh, so much for granting any wish you've got... talk about false advertising..." Goku muttered. Up above him Parunga growled, the sound deep and rumbling like thunder. "Man... I wish I knew... er, I mean... if I knew more about technology I could figure something out... man, this bites."

"What are you trying to do Goku?"

"Huh? Oh, one of the Androids, a Cyborg actually, tried to help us out so now I'm trying to help her out. Apparently she's got an off switch and a bomb inside of her that Gero could use against her... It's how he's been controlling her. Even has a tracking device too I think..."

"So you're trying to get rid of them? Hmmm. Oh, I think I have an idea!" Dende turned back to Parunga and spoke once more in Namek. Yet again Parunga's voice echoed out above them.

"Your wish... shall be granted."

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Earth, Kami's Lookout:

"Um, any ideas what he's up to?" Krillin asked blinking as Goku vanished from sight. The others all just shook their heads as 18 stood there not really sure what to do. As she looked down over the edge of the Lookout and at the planet below them she realized she'd felt that way for a while now, not sure what to do. Everything had seemed so clear when she'd first met Gero but then it got all jumbled up and she didn't know which way was up anymore.

"So... you said you used to be Human, right?" Krillin asked walking toward her slowly, still not sure if it was safe. 18 merely nodded. "Then... you must have a real name, right? Something other than that number Gero used?"

18 remained silent for a moment. "My real name is... not important anymore. She's dead and gone. I'm 18 now."

"Oh."

"Which Android is the strongest anyway?" Appla asked walking over as well. "I would have expected you, numbered 18, to be stronger than the purple guy since he was called 15."

"Gero was constantly updating and modifiying his designs as he made them." 18 explained. "After he finished 13 he tried to improve on the rest as well but none reached 13's level of strength... And then he decided to make a pair of Cyborgs, see if biological and mechanical combined could yield more power than just a machine. We turned out even weaker yet so he gave up on that idea and he came up with two more Android designs. 19 and 20.

"19's concept was, as you saw, energy absorption. He has an infinite energy generator like the rest of us, but can get stronger for periods by absorbing the energy of others..."

"Inifinite energy generator?" Bardock asked, shocked. "You mean... your power never runs out? You don't get weaker?"

18 shook her head. "I, and the others, will be as strong at the start of battle as at the end. It's what Gero calls the 'Great Machine Advantage'. We don't get weakened by exertion."

"You mentioned an Android 20... that's Dr. Gero himself, isn't it?" Appla asked.

"Yes. The only design that uses a dual power source and the only one stronger than 13." She paused for a moment and was about to continue when a blue glow suddenly formed around her. She gasped in shock as an odd sensation flowed through her and then, as quickly as it came, it vanished.

Before anyone could say anything Goku reappeared. "It worked!"

"What worked?" Tien asked.

"Well, I tried a few things... removing the bomb and off switch, turning 18 back into Human... Parunga couldn't do either. But Dende had an idea and it worked! He had the Dragon install a jamming device inside of 18 that prevents Gero from doing anything to her!"

"Wha... what?" she asked shocked.

"Yep! So now he can't shut you off or blow you up! Great, huh?"

"And he wont be able to track her, even if she did leave the Lookout." Bardock said smiling.

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Capital City:

"There's no sign of them anywhere in the city sir." 17 said walking into the former throne room of King Furry. "Neither 14 or 15 could find anything either."

Gero frowned. "I don't understand it... it's like they were expecting trouble and had an escape plan already established... Surely that energy field above us is even further proof..." He turned and looked over to 13. "How is the analysis going?"

"I can't make heads or tails of it." 13 replied.

"May I suggest something?" 19 asked entering the room with 14 and 15 behind him. "The only ones capable of such a field here on Earth are Capsule Corp. Galactic records show that Bulma Briefs is married to Prince Vegeta. It is possible that they established this as some sort of Earth Defense system as, according to records, the field is similar to a Sai-jin Barrier Field."

Gero nodded. "Our answers most likely lie at Capsule Corp. then. 17, take 19 and some Sentinels with you and head to West City. Locate Capsule Corp. and Bulma Briefs or her father." Gero paused for a moment and steepled his fingers. "Tao, I want you to go with him, keep an eye on him. And if you can't find the targets use one of the Sentinels as a relay so that I can access Capsule Corp's computer network."

"Dr. Gero..." 15 said after the others had left. "I have information that could be important."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Just before Goku's friends vanished my scanners detected Goku's energy signal again. I know he died but... it could be a glitch or he could have been revived."

"Revived... to be brought back so quickly again shows some level of knowledge to our presence... how can that be?"

"There is much that makes little sense in this world." an odd somewhat raspy voice said. "Things are not as they should be..." 


	10. Battle in West City

A/N: Oops, uploaded the wrong chapter last time. Gotta start paying more attention.

Chapter Ten - Battle in West City

18 blinked at Goku and Bardock. "You... but... how? Why?"

"We had a wish left. And you're obviously not one of the bad guys." Goku said grinning.

18 wasn't sure what to do or say so she just turned away and moved back to the edge of the Lookout. "Thanks..." she said after a moment. She wasn't really sure if she meant it or not but the silence had been deafening. If anyone else said anything she didn't hear them, her mind was too lost in the past. Her eyes roamed over the planet, her scanners finally working to some degree. "Now what...?" she wondered, her gaze falling on West City. She was detecting three tracking signals, 17, 19, and Tao. She turned and looked back at the others as Piccolo returned from the palace. "You may want to see this."

Goku had been talking to Bardock, Raditz, Appla, and Yamcha when 18 called over. All of them plus the others looked over to her and then moved over to the edge of the Lookout. It only took a moment for Piccolo to see what 18 had found. "They're attacking Capsule Corp." he growled. "Must be trying to find a way to shut down the barrier."

"Dad's there!" Videl cried, wide eyed.

"Chi-Chi, Bulma, and the two children are there as well." Bardock said. "Damn, we'll need to head down and..."

"No, I'll go alone." Goku said. "I can use Relocation to get in and get out." He reached up and placed two fingers to his head and focused. He stood that way for a moment, his mind reaching out everywhere but sensing nothing on Earth. "What's going on?"

"What is it Goku?" Krillin asked.

"I... I can't sense anything... not here on Earth at least. I could sense Namek just fine, still can, but..."

"I can't either." Piccolo said frowning. The rest shook their heads as well. None of them could sense a thing. Piccolo turned his gaze skyward at the pulsing red sky. "The field could be interfering somehow."

"I guess Relocation's out then..." Goku said frowning.

"I'll go down." Bardock said. "I'm the strongest of us at the moment..."

"Korin should have some Senzu Beans ready by now." Goku said. "We can stop by there and I can take one before we go, you can't handle them by yourself."

"Fighting them outright is suicide." Raditz said, finally speaking. "Just keep them busy, I'll go in and rescue the others. Once we're clear you can get out of there."

"That's a good idea." Appla said nodding. "I'll come as well."

"Just be careful." Bardock said looking the two of them over.

"I want to come too." Gohan said.

Goku shook his head. "No, not this time Gohan. I know you're worried about your mother, and you about your dad Videl, but this is too dangerous. Stay here with the others." The two kids sighed and slumped their shoulders as Bardock, Goku, Appla, and Raditz lifted off the Lookout. The four of them were just about to take off for West City when 18 suddenly spoke up.

"I'm coming along as well." The four froze and turned to look back at her a bit shocked. "You'll need all the help you can get... and I want to try and talk some sense into my brother." Bardock nodded and, with that, the five of them vanished over the edge of the Lookout.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

West City:

17 stood atop one of the taller buildings across the street from Capsule Corp. with 19 on his left and Tao on his right. The Sentinel units were slower than the three of them and only just arriving and landing outside Capsule Corp now. "My scanners are still not working." 19 said. "I cannot tell how many are inside or where they are located."

"It's not important." Tao said. "We'll just do a thorough search of the entire compound. If Bulma or her father are there then all the better, if not, so be it. Just try and keep the damage down so that we don't do something to the computer systems."

"Sounds good to me." 17 said. "19, are you synced up with the Sentinels yet?"

"One more moment." the pale Android replied. "Whatever is disrupting my scanners is causing interference in the sync as well." The three stood there in silence for a moment longer and then 19 gave a small nod. "There, sync complete. The Sentinels are now..." 19 was cut off by a loud crack as two feet slammed into the back of his head rocketing him forward. Goku and Bardock pulled to a stop, their backs touching, each with a leg outstretched. Before either of the others could react another loud crack sounded and Tao was launched foward as well. There was a soft click as 18 landed where Tao had been standing.

"18?" 17 cried suprised as he saw her land. He glimpsed two streaks of light descend into the Capsule Corp compound but was more interested in the person before him. "You should have stayed wherever you'd gone after that stunt you..."

"Do you really still believe all that crap Gero fed us five years ago?" she asked. "After everything that's happned!"

"Not entirely." he replied. "But he gave us power, power to get back at everyone, to finally be on the top!"

"On the top? Listen to yourself! He's got a switch in our heads that knocks us out and a bomb in our chests should we get too out of line! How in the hell is that 'on top' 17?"

Her brother shook her head. "I don't like it either, but at least I've got power now."

18 sighed. "Gero's only using you, you don't have any real power."

"I have enough power to destroy the entire planet if I wanted. I'd call that real power."

"You're delusional."

"At least I'll still be alive tomorrow. Now that you're... wait, what the hell? We should have noticed you coming in... I'm still not detecting your transponder signal..."

"I've been shielded from Gero, freed. He can't track me, control me, or blow me up anymore."

"So you're content to go back to nothing?" 17 shook his head. "I feel sorry for you 18."

"And I feel sorry for you." 18 replied throwing a punch at his face.

zzzzzzzzzz

As 18 had landed on the roof drawing 17's attention Goku and Bardock shot after Tao and 19. They had no way of really telling how strong either of them actually was, though Goku did have some experience with the pale Android. They also knew that, thanks to the energy it had absorbed from Vegeta earlier, it was probably stronger than either of them. And according to 18, Tao was stronger than even her which meant stronger than them as well.

And therein lay the problem. In a two-on-one fight against either one of them victory could be considered plausible, even if not probable. However, with both present the chances of them being spereated into one-on-one fights existed and, while it was plausible to defeat 19 in such a fight, Tao was a different matter entirely. And so they had decided they would try and take out the round Android first, and fast. Get him out of the way and they could at the least last long enough against Tao for Raditz and Appla to finish up inside Capsule Corp.

So the two shot straight toward the Android reaching it before it had the chance to recover. With a cry both launched a fist foward and smashed them into 19's face at the same instant knocking it sailing away again. The two shot after it again but this time the Android recovered. It managed to block Goku's kick but Bardock's hit it square in the back. However, now that it wasn't being overwhelmed the attack had far less effect. In fact, none.

Before either Sai-jin could move for another attack, 19 had slammed a fist into Goku's stomach and then kicked Bardock in the chest knocking them apart. Tao had recovered as well and floated over beside 19. "So, Goku, we meet again at last. I suppose I should thank-you for the power I have now, in a way it was your doing after all. I'd never dreamed of power like this, not in my wildest imaginations."

"Tell me." 19 began. "This energy field around the Earth... it is your doing is it not?" Goku just grinned. "Expected. Though it is curious as to how you anticipated us..."

Bardock shrugged. "A little birdy told us."

"Enough of this." Tao said cracking his neck. "We'll get no answers from them, our answers lie inside of Capsule Corp."

"Well, you'll need to get passed us to get to them then." Goku said slipping into a fighting stance. While his heart was pounding at the thought of fighting such powerful opponents he also knew he was more outmatched in this fight than in any he'd had before. "So, let's get started."

zzzzzzzzzz

17's eyes widened in shock as he saw the fist coming in. He had not expected her to attack him and was caught completely off guard. Her punch knocked him off the roof they'd been standing on. She launched after him quickly overtaking him and slammed a foot into his chest knocking him down through the roof of another building before charging in after him. 17 rolled to the side a second before his stister's foot smashed into the spot where he'd been, shattering the cement floor of the basement they were now inside of.

She pulled back dodging a kick from 17, did a quick backflip, and landed about ten feet away from him. No sooner had her feet touched the ground, she was charging in toward him again, and he toward her. As they met and began exchanging blows 18 looked into his eyes. "Gero's insane, I know you've seen it! Think about what he's after!"

17 ducked under a punch and then came up slamming his knee into 18's stomach and then landing a right hook to her jaw knocking her back into the wall. "You mean what he's already got." 17 said as he relaxed and brushed some dust off his shirt. "We're now the rulers of the entire world, not even your new friends could stop him." He started walking toward her. "It's a new world now, a new life 18. A better one. A chance for us to start over, to get revenge, to..."

"Stuff it!" she cried thrusting her arms forward. Blue energy sparked around her palms and then shot forward driving 17 across the basement and into the opposite wall. As she ended the attack, she pulled herself free of the wall she'd been knocked into. "I went along with the idea five years ago because I liked what Gero offered... I just didn't realize the price. Gero's no better than... no better than Him! What's changed 17? Tell me!"

"We're in control now, that's what." 17 said pulling himself out of his wall. "What we say goes now! No more being walked on, no more being..."

"Are you blind?" 18 cried.

17 shook his head. "Gero doesn't trust us completely yet, that's all. In time he will. Think about it 18, there's still time to come back. The whole world is at our feet!"

"You never did like seeing other people in general." 18 said after a moment. "You avoided everyone as much as possible..."

"Less chance for them to treat me like dirt."

"Less chance to meet the decent people in the world too."

17 laughed. "Decent people? In this world? You're the one that's delusional!" He pushed off with his feet and charged across the way at 18 again.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Capital City:

Gero turned to look to see who had just spoken and his eyebrows went up in interest. He'd never seen such a creature as what now stood on the balcony and was walking into the room. The Androids present eyed it up and down uncertainly, but Gero wasn't really concerned. Mostly he was intrigued. "What do you mean by that?" he asked the new arrival.

"You... them..." he motioned toward the other Androids. "Everything..." The creature looked over the Androids for a moment and then turned back to Gero again. "I heard your announcement, it's the reason I came here first. I wanted to see how much had changed from what I'd known. The things I saw along the way... this world is not as it should be."

"You've said that before but still have not yet explained what you meant."

"You don't recognize me?"

"No, should I?"

"Puzzling... Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cell, I am a Bio-droid from the future created by you." he said, his tail swishing behind him slowly. "I was created using the cells of the most powerful fighters in the world. Tien, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, Goku, and Frieza."

"Cell? I made no such thing."

"It would appear that the time-line is vastly different than what it should be. My data files cover everything up to 772 A.D. but they do not match this world... in my world the Sai-jins were killed decades ago, the entire planet destroyed by Frieza. I have no files on the silver haired girls or the Goku look-a-like. Raditz should have died long ago at the hands of Piccolo... this is most confusing. The only thing I can assume is that my presence has altered things somehow... but how would it affect things from before my arrival? I only arrived 4 years ago. Maybe it's a combination of myself and the presence of Trunks..."

"Trunks?" Gero asked.

"The boy with the purple hair." Cell said. "A time-traveller like myself, though from a seperate time-line. He appeared in my world as well, lead to the deactivation and destruction of 17 and 18 long before I awoke which is why I am here now. Without them I cannot become complete."

"Complete?"

"Yes. By absorbing Androids 17 and 18 into my being I can transform and reach my final Perfect Form, I will be the greatest warrior in the universe, a perfect mix of the best genetic material and top of the line cybernetics. No one would be able to stand against me."

"This is a most interesting turn of events..." Gero said softly. "Interesting and intriguing. This Trunks certainly explains the apparent fore-knowledge of us that Goku and his friends posess."


	11. Return of an Ancient Power

Chapter Eleven - Return of an Ancient Power

Gero had remained quiet for a few moments as his mind thought over a few things. Finally he turned his eyes toward Cell again. "Why is it you need to absorb 17 and 18? That seems a bit inefficient..."

Cell smiled as best he could with his beak-like mouth. "17 and 18 were created after work on me began. At first I was to be complete as was, upon 'birth' if you will. However, the computer needed to alter my genetic make-up during incubation to manage the power I held. As little more than an embryo, I would be unable to control my power and so a series of five forms was integrated into my design.

"The first form was my embryonic state. Gradually my power would increase until triggering the transformation into my larval form. That form, too, would grow stronger over the progression of time and would then transform into this, my Imperfect Form. The same method was considered impractical for the remaining two transformations. A means of triggering these was required, however, due to the existing genetic material used to create my being.

"In the end it was decided absorption of specific genetic material, and the integration of two power cores, would be the means of this trigger. By making use of the Sai-jin and Changeling DNA my body uses the sudden rush of power created by this process to trigger the transformation. Aside from this, the ability to absorb any genetic matter was included as well, allowing me to enhance my Imperfect and Semi-Perfect states if needed and even aquire further skills."

"Very impressive." Gero said nodding. "Prior to witnessing Zarbon's transformation during his battle with Goku the concept had not occured to me... even while working on my own projects the possibility of a biological creature reaching such a level of power as shown by Vegeta earlier seemed absurd to me... I suppose different experiences will lead to different conclusions though. Unfortunately my scanners are not working due to that infernal enery barrier they put up, I can't tell how strong you are one way or the other."

"Hmm, yes, that thing is annoying. My own natural ability to sense powers is being blocked as well." Cell said moving back toward the balcony and looking up at the sky. "Destroying it outright is probably possible but something tells me it wouldn't help much."

"I have the same feeling." Gero said. "They went to too much work on it for it to be that simple. That's why I sent Tao, 19, and 17 to West City to look into it. If it comes down to it, however, I will just destroy it and let come what may."

Cell nodded. "So then, 17 was off to West City just now?" The creature smiled. "Then so am I. Where is 18?"

"No idea. She vanished earlier, including from my tracking."

"No matter. She will be mine in time. But first things first..." Cell moved over to the balcony and blasted off toward West City.

"Most unusal course of events... most unusal..." Gero said, deep in thought.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

West City:

Goku and Bardock shot in together toward Tao and 19. The Cyborg Mercenary slipped under Goku's fist with ease and then came up and smashed his fist into the Sai-jin's stomach. His eyes and mouth snapped open in pain. And then Tao spun and backhanded him away through several buildings. Meanwhile 19 had blocked Bardock's kick, grabbed his leg, and thrown him down to the ground.

Goku pulled himself to a stop and looked up to where he could still see Tao and 19 floating. /I need some kind of leg up on these two... ugh... that punch... his power is incredible. It's too risky to use the Kaio Ken, the strain of both it and Super Sai-jin would be too much for my body to take... Damn it, why isn't my power as high as I think it should be/ He panted lightly and then had an idea. It wouldn't greatly help his chance in the actual fight but it could help him dodge... maybe.

He focused for a moment and then his body pulsed once. Opening his eyes he smiled as he took in everything he could now feel. The field may have been supressing his Ki sensing ability but the Perception skill he'd learned from the Yardrat's was working just fine. He could feel someone getting to their feet down on the ground, probably Bardock, the two Androids floating in the air before him, two people fighting in the basement of a nearby building, and several hundred others as well. It was a bit much not being able to filter them all out, he'd just have to focus closely on Tao to keep track of him.

There was a flash of gold from within the city and Bardock shot up at 19 again. The Sai-jin never reached his target, however. 19 surged down at him as well and smashed a foot into his face driving him back down into the street. This wasn't a fight, it was a one-sided beating. Bracing himself for a moment Goku shot in at Tao, golden energy sparking in his wake. As he neared he felt Tao shifting. It was amazing how he could feel even the smallest amount of movement.

Quickly he slipped to the right and Tao's fist missed him by inches. Pulling up higher he managed to get above his kick as well though it came much closer to landing. He let out a gasp of pain as Tao then slammed his metal head into his chest. As the powerful Sai-jin grasped his chest, knowing one of his ribs was broken, he found a metal hand inches from his face. The hand split and shifted until he was staring at the barrel of a gun.

"Super Dodon Ray!" Tao called. Golden light flared up in the dark depths of the barrel and then shot out hitting Goku right in the face. He was flung back and into the air quickly. He felt Tao charging toward him and tried to move to out of the way but still ended up with a foot smashing into his side and then a knee to his back that drove him down into the ground. A second later Bardock slammed into the ground beside him.

19 floated over beside Tao and the two held their palms down toward the ground, blue and gold energy charging quickly. Goku pulled himself up to his hands and knees and shook his head. As he did he noticed that Bardock was no longer in Super Sai-jin. And then he noticed the glow of the attacks nearing. Without even thinking he grabbed Bardock's wrist with one hand and put two fingers from his other hand on his forhead. Seconds before the blasts hit he vanished reappearing several dozen yards above Tao and 19.

The energy hit the ground, bulged, and then exploded savagely shaking the entire city. /Good thing I've got the Perception Field up... I wouldn't have been able to dodge that otherwise. But... now what? Bardock's out and Raditz and Appla aren't back yet! I need to put Bardock somewhere safe.../ He looked around and then felt a small bunch of people off at the edge of his senses. A second later he was standing there laying Bardock down.

That taken care of he had a rib to fix. He moved his right hand up to the broken rib and closed his eyes. Light swam in the darkness of his vision and then turned into the rib. Focusing his thoughts and channeling his Ki through his hand he bound the bone with a band of energy and then fused it. /There, now it wont puncture something important./

Looking up he saw that Tao and 19 were talking. Obviously they thought that he and Bardock had been killed in the blast. /This gives me an opening. No doubt 19 used up a chunk of Vegeta's energy with that shot... I might be able to take him out if I move quickly.../ his thoughts were cut off as the rubble of one of the collapsed buildings exploded and someone shot into the air.

zzzzzzzzzz

18 slipped around 17's fist and it smashed into the wall behind her. Her knee shot up and slammed into his stomach and then she backhanded him away. Quickly she raised an arm and fired a quick series of energy blasts at him driving him back further. Before he could recover she charged after him again. As she reached him she lashed out with a punch but his arm came up at the last second and deflected her blow. He tried one of his own but she blocked it and then smashed her open palm into his face knocking him back again.

As he stumbled back, the ground rumbled and the ceiling began to collapse. In a matter of seconds a pile of rubble had buried 17. It shifted a bit and then he climbed free obviously disoriented by the chucks of concrete suddenly falling on him. 18 noticed another chunk that looked loose and raised her arm toward it. With a quick blast of Ki more came tumbling down onto her brother slamming him back into the ground. He pushed to get up and then dropped back down again passing out.

"That'll hold you for now." 18 said with a sigh. Looking up she raised her arms up, palms open, and charged energy to her palms quickly. There was a flash of blue and the energy surged up through the rubble above her blasting and opening. With that she shot up into the daylight once more. She saw Tao and 19 floating in the air looking toward her and no signs of Bardock or Goku. "Damn."

"So, there you are 18. I thought that was you that kicked me." Tao said frowning. "19, you have a controller system, shut her down."

19 nodded and his eyes flashed. 18 flinched not entirely sure she was actually safe but nothing happened and she smiled. "That wont work!" she called over. "Thanks to Goku and his friends you've been blocked out!"

"Then we'll just have to take you the hard way." Tao responded.

"You'll need to deal with her yourself." 19 said turning away. "I expended a good bit of my extra energy so I'm going to go down and see what the Sentinels have found." Tao merely nodded as 19 descended. 

From where he stood Goku was torn between driving the Android back to give Raditz and Appla more time and letting it go so that he and 18 only had one opponent to deal with, especially in his weakened state... /I'll have to let him go and hope the others can avoid him... 18 and I stand a better chance against one opponent than two./

18 held her ground, so to speak, as Tao charged in at her. She was just about to dodge when a streak of gold suddenly came charging down from above and slammed into Tao driving him down into the ground. A second later Goku came flying back up to float beside her. "Where's 17?"

"Out cold for now." 18 replied. "What about Bardock?"

"Same."

The Cyborg frowned. "Things don't look so good then, do they? 19's already gone ahead and entered Capsule Corp..."

"I saw." Goku said as he watched Tao climb back to his feet. "I hate leaving them to try and deal with him by themselves but..." he shook his head. "I'm hoping they get lucky and 19 doesn't find them."

"A Sentinel tracking signal vanished a second ago." 18 said softly. "19's at that location now... chances are..."

Goku's eyes narrowed as Tao looked up at them. His mind searched down through his energy field and into Capsule Corp. Down on the lowest level he found only eight people. He couldn't tell who they were but seven of them were together with the eighth standing a short distance away. It could have easily been them. Or not. He growled under his breath, he hated feeling helpless like this.

zzzzzzzzzz

Raditz and Appla rounded the corner and saw the door to Lab 206 before them finally. They hadn't been able to sense out their destination because of the Energy Barrier's interference but fortunately the personnel locator in the Capsule Corp compound was functioning. They'd used that to learn of Bulma's location and then found an employee that knew how to get there. "Alright, thanks." Appla said nodding to the young man who'd led them down there. "You should try and find a way out of the city."

With that the two of them moved down the hall toward the door. Suddenly the ground underneath them shook violently nearly knocking them off their feet. "We need to move quickly." Appla said glancing over to her son. "I don't know how much longer they can last out there."

Raditz nodded as he pushed the open button and the door to the lab slid open. "Chi-Chi! Bulma! Where are you?"

"Raditz!" Bulma asked stepping out from behind a large object of some kind holding the baby Trunks. "Appla! What are you two doing here?"

"Getting you and the children to safety." Appla said. "There are three Androids outside, probably after you and any information on that Barrier Field. Goku and Bardock are holding them off while we get you to safety." She decided it'd be easier not to mention 18 was helping as well, that'd take too long to explain and time was of the essence. Chi-Chi emerged from behind the object as well holding 3 year old Sakura and followed by Hercule.

"You carry the kids." Raditz said walking toward them. "And we'll carry you..." he was cut off as a mechanical voice sounded behind him.

"Stand where you are or I will destroy you."

Turning he and Appla saw one of the metallic drones standing in the doorway. "Must have followed us." Raditz growled.

"No, I'll handle it." Appla said moving between it and him. "We don't know how strong these things are." It raised an arm toward her and golden energy began to gather in front of its hand. "Kaio Ken times 20!" Just as the energy blast surged toward her the red aura flared up about her as well. The blast hit the rush of power and was knocked away. In a flash she charged toward it and it quickly moved it's arm and blocked her attack. She continued swinging her fists and feet at it and it continued to deflect her blows.

"Shit." she muttered pulling back. "Fine then, I'll use my full power, let's see how you do against that you hunk of scrap! Kaaaiooo Keeennn... times 45!" her aura pulsed and flared as her power shot up even higher. With a cry she surged forward and slammed her fist into and through the machine shattering it completely. Landing in the hall she let out a deep breath, her aura fading away. "Alright, let's get moving!" she called back into the room.

The others nodded and moved toward the door. Suddenly the ceiling exploded downward and 19 descended to land before them. "Sentinel tracking signal vanished... but targets aquired!" it cheered happily. "Bardock and Goku have already been eliminated."

"No... Goku..." Chi-Chi said softly.

"Now you will tell me about the energy around the planet." 19 said with a smile.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Lookout:

"We have to do something!" Videl cried worriedly watching what was happening below. It still seemed odd to her to be able to see it so easily, even after Kami explained that it was simply part of the Lookout's nature.

"I know how you feel but there's nothing we can do." Krillin said.

Piccolo glanced over to them and then back down at the world below them. 19 had just descended into Capsule Corp putting Appla, Raditz, Hercule, Chi-Chi, Bulma, and the children in harm's way. Bardock was knocked out and now Goku and 18 were about to face off against Tao and he wasn't sure how well they'd fare. Finally he turned and looked at Kami who stood only a few dozen feet away.

The two of them simply looked at each other for a few moments before Kami finally spoke breaking the silence and drawing the attention of the others. "I've watched you closely over the years... it's not gone completely yet but... the evil in you has faded considerably. What the world needs now is not a weak and old guardian that can do nothing but watch... but a warrior able to protect it." Piccolo said nothing, just continued to stare at him. The others looked back and forth between them confused. Kami continued. "Perhaps we can give it that. I think... the time has finally come."

Still Piccolo said nothing, simply nodded gently. He took the few steps toward Kami and placed his hand on the Guardian's chest. The two stood in silence for a moment. Suddenly Kami let out a loud scream, a bright blue aura flaring up around him and then engulfing them both. "Wha!" Gohan cried, his eyes going wide. The glow soon became blindingly bright, the rush of power emanating from the Nameks like a whirlwind.

And then, as quickly as it came, it faded away. The glow receded down to a small dome and then vanished completely. As it did it revealed Piccolo down on one knee panting heavily. After a moment he stood up again and gazed down at himself. "P-Piccolo?" Gohan started.

"Piccolo..." the Namek said softly. "No longer am I Kami or Piccolo..." he turned and walked to the edge of the Lookout. "Zildar has returned." and with that he lifted off the Lookout and dove toward the Earth and West City. 


	12. Attack of the Super Namek

A/N: Forgot to respond to majingohan before about his Goku dieing comment. What'd it make you think when that happened? WTF? They're screwed? Ya, that was the point.

Chapter Twelve - Attack of the Super Namek

"This energy field they're using is a pain in the ass." Ravenna said frowning as she made a couple more adjustments to the controls. As soon as the field had gone up it had interfered with several of their systems monitoring the Earth. The power scanners had been the only things not affected. She'd just managed to get the video feed, though somewhat distorted, back about an hour ago. The audio, however, was still jumbled.

"Well now..." Razor said softly, his eyes glowing faintly. "We have a new player in this game."

"What do you mean?" Ravenna asked looking back.

"I just felt my powers flaring up on Earth..."

The man in the shadows smirked. "So then, Zildar is back at last." He stood up and walked toward the largest monitor which shifted to show the powerful Namek flying towards West City. "I wonder though, why are Goku and Bardock the only ones in West City? What happened to Vegeta? There's no way he'd pass up another chance at the Androids..."

"No idea father." Ravenna said looking over the data she was getting. "His power, along with those of Trunks, Hotaru, and that Sakura girl, vanished about thirty minutes ago."

"Vanished?" Raven asked as she, too, stood from her seat and moved into the light. "Where were they last detected?"

"On the Lookout."

Ravenna's father pursed his lips in thought, his tail wagging behind him. Suddenly he smiled. "I know of only one place on the Lookout that is beyond our scanner's reach. The Room of Spirit and Time. Well, this should prove most entertaining."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

West City:

"Ready when you are." 18 said quietly. 

Goku nodded. "On 3. 1... 2... 3!" With that the two of them surged toward Tao. Their target focused his attentions on 18 moreso than Goku knowing she was the stronger of his two opponents. He quickly brought his arms up and blocked the punch from her and then brought his leg up blocking Goku's kick. There was a dual crack as his back hand connected with Goku's head and his left fist was blocked by 18's arm.

Goku flipped over in the air, slid around behind Tao, and then smashed his foot into the mercenary's head. However, Tao didn't even react to the impact. 18 launched a punch for Tao's face but he slipped it and then grabbed her arm. Spinning where he floated he tossed her into Goku and then sent a blast of energy after them knocking them into the ground before it exploded. As the dust cleared the two of them stood again, their clothes tattered and shredded, Goku bruised, bleeding, and panting. With a glance at each other both smirked and then shot up at Tao again.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Tao asked as he watched them near.

Suddenly Goku put his hands in front of his face, fingers spread. "Solar Flare!" As the light flared up blinding Tao, 18 increased her speed and then slammed her fist into his stomach doubling him over. Flipping around behind him, she then slammed her foot into his back driving him down toward Goku. The Sai-jin continued rocketing toward him and slammed an energy encased fist into his face full force. The energy exploded and knocked him back up into the air where 18 slammed her knee into his stomach and brought her elbow down into his back at the same time.

By this point Goku was above her and came surging back down again, feet first, and smashed them into his back. He kept going down until he'd driven Tao into and through the street knocking him down into the sewers below the city. Panting heavily, Goku floated back up to where 18 was. "Think he's... down for good?" he asked. 18 didn't answer.

Unseen by either of them a green hand grasped the corner of a building a few blocks away and then the owner peeked around the corner too and looked up at the two warriors. "There's no telling where 17 is now..." Cell said slowly, his tail swishing back and forth on the ground. "But 18's right there for the picking. Goku's already worn out, he wont be a challenge. I've got a clear shot at half of my goal... I think I'll take it. And then I can look for 17's location."

Cell stepped out around the corner just as Tao floated back up out of his hole glaring at the two warriors above him. The Bio-droid paid the Cyborg little attention though, he didn't care about him one way or the other at the moment. With a burst of gold Cell shot straight for 18 and Goku. 

Goku felt something in his Field of Perception suddenly and turned to look, his eyes going wide as he saw Cell. "What the...?" he was cut off from saying anything further, however, as Cell's fist slammed into his stomach. The Bio-droid then grabbed his head and slammed it into his knee before kicking him in the chest and into a distant building. The green creature then turned to face 18.

"Ah, 18, I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Cell said grinning.

"Who... what are you?" she cried drifting backwards a few yards.

"My name is Cell. Like you I was created by Dr. Gero. It is your destiny to be absorbed by me, to become part of my being!"

"What? Ugh, I don't want to be part of something as disgusting as you!"

Cell laughed. "My dear 18, you have no choice." Cell started to float toward 18 but Goku suddenly appeared between the two of them. Cell laughed. "You think you can stop me?"

"No, but I can try." Goku said, still panting.

"I've got this one." a familiar voice said from nearby. Everyone turned and saw Piccolo standing on the top of a gargoyle mounted on a nearby roof, his cape billowing out behind him. "I don't know who or what you are but you picked the wrong time to show yourself."

Cell started laughing again. "You can't fight me Piccolo." he said, smiling when he saw the Namek's shock at his knowing him. "Yes, I know who you are. I also know how strong you are. I got a good sense of your power before this energy field went up."

The Namek shook his head as he removed his cape and turban. "I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else friend. I am not Piccolo."

"Not Piccolo?"

"Not by a long shot." he said dropping his weights to the street far below. "What do you say to moving this out of the city?"

"And leave my prey behind? I don't think so." Cell eyed up the Namek before him. "You certainly do look like Piccolo... If you're not Piccolo then who are you?"

"You can call me Zildar." he replied reaching up and cracking his neck. As he did he turned his attention toward Goku. "Catch." his hand snapped out and a small brown bag sailed over to Goku. As the Sai-jin caught it the Namek spoke again. "Korin gave that to me as I passed. He said you forgot it in your haste."

Goku grinned. "Senzu Beans, alright!"

"Get healed, get Bardock, get the others, and get out." Zildar ordered before turning his eyes toward Cell again and crossing his arms.

"But... Piccolo, we don't know how strong this guy is and..."

"Piccolo's gone." said the Namek gruffly, his eyes still locked on Cell. "Look, you have to get the others to safety... there aren't any more Dragonballs..."

"Ah... I see now." Cell laughed. "You fused with Kami, didn't you?"

"Goku, go, now!"

Goku stared at him a moment longer and then nodded before grabbing 18 and then vanishing. Cell scowled as the two disappeared. "Damn, I forgot about that technique... no matter, I'll just track them down after I've dealt with you."

"Not likely."

During this exchange Tao had taken to scanning the area around him. He couldn't detect powers thanks to the energy field but he could still track heat signals and 19's transponder. As Goku vanished, Tao locked onto 19 and a small group of seven others. No sooner had Goku and 18 vanished than two new heat signals appeared within the group. With a smirk on his face Tao charged down toward Capsule Corp leaving Cell and Zildar to themselves.

Zildar watched him go but was more concerned with this unkown than the Cyborg. "So, you have me at a disadvantage... you know who I am but I don't know who you are."

Cell smiled as best his beak would allow. "As I told 18 I am Cell, a Bio-droid created by Dr. Gero. Well, not the Dr. Gero you know it seems. Apparently I'm from an entirely different time-line. Much different."

"A different time-line?"

Cell shrugged. "The complexities of time travel aren't my thing. All I know is that I'm from the future but this is not the past I expected. Even that annoying Trunks couldn't have altered things this drastically, the Sai-jin Empire should be long dead for one thing. Beyond that, the two silver haired women shouldn't exist, or at least shouldn't be on Earth." 

"So why come back?"

"Trunks appeared in my time as well and with his help you and the others found a way to deactivate the Androids and then destroy them. Of course, by the time I 'woke up' none of that mattered, the world was empty. I don't know what killed everyone off but I don't care either. Whatever it was led Bulma to make a time-machine and thanks to it here I am." The creature shook his head. "But enough of this, I need to dispose of you so I can absorb 18 and get one step closer to perfection!"

With that Cell shot in at Zildar. The powerful Namek, arms still crossed, started dodging left and right around Cell's swings. The Bio-droid's powerful punches weren't even coming close to hitting the Namek and it didn't take long for him to realize this. "How... how are you dodging?"

"Piccolo... was a weakling compared to me." Zildar replied simply. "When I was split into Piccolo and Kami my power wasn't divided down the middle you know, but it wasn't lost either. It was just out of reach. Of course, Piccolo managed to get quite powerful on his own, minus a little help from Nail and Namek's Guardian anyway. And as he grew stronger that locked away power grew with him. You do the math."

Cell's eyes widened. He didn't know how powerful Piccolo, or rather, Zildar, had been before he'd split but he did know how strong Piccolo had been earlier that day. "This is... not possible..." Cell said slowly. "No one is supposed to be able to match my power..."

Faster than Cell could follow, Zildar surged in toward him and slammed an elbow into his stomach and then a fist into his face. The Bio-droid was knocked back through six buildings and Zildar chased after him. The powerful Namek quickly pulled to the left dodging around a kick and gripped Cell's tail. With a hard swing the Namekian warrior threw Cell down the street several blocks and into another large building. 

While he couldn't sense anyone in the area thanks to the energy field he figured most had fled by now. Or at least hoped they had. Shaking that off he charged after Cell once more. By the time he reached him, the green creature was back in the air again. "I will not be stopped... no one will stop me from reaching the perfection I came here to achieve, certainly not you!" His hands moved up before his face quickly. "SOLAR FLARE!"

Zildar's eyes snapped wide in suprise at first, and then shut tight to try and seal out the light. However, it was too little too late and even with his eyes closed he could see nothing but blinding white. By the time it faded enough for him to see Cell had vanished from his sight. "Damn. Well, at least we know to be on the watch for him now..."

zzzzzzzzzz

Inside Capsule Corp.:

Raditz moved to stand beside Appla. They both knew fighting the Android would be suicide but neither saw another option. "Well?" 19 prodded. After a moment the Android shook its head. "It does not matter. We will merely scan your computers for what we need then." Raditz let out a gasp as 19's vice-like hand suddenly wrapped around his neck. No sooner had 19 grabbed him than its grip went slack.

The long haired Sai-jin stumbled back choking and gazed at the Android's now headless shoulders. The body toppled over backwards and landed with a thud to reveal 18 standing in the hall, arm raised and palm pointing toward the doorway. Behind her Goku was popping something into his mouth. Swallowing it his wounds vanished. "Ah, much better!" he cheered. "Alright guys, we need to grab Bardock and go. I can use Relocation to get us up there thanks to the Perception field I put up, but we'll need to fly back to the Lookout.

"What about the other Androids?" Appla asked.

"17 is out cold." 18 replied. "And Piccolo is dealing with Tao... and that Cell creature."

"Cell?" Raditz asked confused.

"We'll explain at the Lookout." Goku said walking toward them. However, before he could reach them Tao came charging down through the hole that 19 had created a few moments before. The Cyborg instantly noticed the destroyed 19 and turned to face Goku and 18.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" 18 asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I merely do what I'm paid to 18, and I do it well and until it's done. You should know that."

Goku reached out and quickly grabbed 18's arm. In the blink of an eye both of them vanished again. Tao turned and thrust his arm out toward Raditz and the others, a stream of golden energy surging toward them rapidly. But just before it would have reached them Goku appeared, grabbed them, and vanished again. "Damn. That move of his is beyond annoying." Looking upwards he was about to fly up when a bright light filled the sky above him. After it faded he floated up into the now fading light, the sun hanging low over the horizon.

He cast a quick glance around but could find no signs of his targets, 18, 17, or the unusual creature of earlier. After a few more moments he decided he'd missed them, the bright light had probably been a solar flare to cover their escape or something. With a frown he took off toward Capital City to report to Gero leaving the remaining Sentinels, no longer functioning without 19 to relay the signal from Gero's computers, to stand silent guard in the city.

Down on the street a newly awakened and healed Bardock watched, along with the others, as Tao left. "Well, this isn't how I expected it to go but... at least we're alive." Goku said with a sigh. "Thanks to you Pic... er, Zildar."

The Namek remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "We're still the underdogs in this." he said at last. "I don't know how strong any of the other Androids are compared to that Cell creature, and I didn't get the chance to fight with Tao, but I just have that feeling. At least my return was enough to help you out here."

"Well, with luck, Prince Vegeta and the others will be a lot stronger when they come back out tomorrow." Bardock said. The Sai-jin warrior turned his eyes up to the odd red sky and sighed. "And here I'd thought once the Cold Family was dead and gone the universe would be a peaceful place to live."

"We've still got a long way to go before that." Zildar replied lifting into the air. "Let's head back to the Lookout." 


	13. The Autoro Gang

Chapter Thirteen - The Autoro Gang

Zildar and the others landed on the Lookout a few minutes after leaving West City. Bulma took baby Trunks and young Sakura away from the edge and sat down leaning against a tree as Videl ran over to Hercule and hugged him until he was blue in the face. "Man, that was incredible Piccolo!" Gohan cheered walking over to the Namek. "That other guy couldn't even touch you." Zildar half grinned, half smirked as he rested a hand on Gohan's head. 

While it was true that he wasn't exactly Piccolo anymore he wasn't really Zildar either, he realized. His experiences as Kami and Piccolo had changed who he was quite a bit. "You know..." he said slowly, his mind still working it over. "I think I will stay with Piccolo." 

Gohan stared at him blankly but Goku grinned. "I guess it is kind of confusing being two people."

"Three, actually." Piccolo said shaking his head. "It takes a bit for the mind to adapt. Zildar's long gone, Kami and I may have been each a half of him but by the time we merged we were our own people." He turned to look toward Appla and Bardock. "I've also managed to recover Zildar's old memories now and I have some more insight, I think, into this unnamed threat out there in the universe."

"You do?" Goku asked shocked.

Piccolo nodded. "Long ago when I still lived on Namek, I was the strongest of the Warrior Nameks. The second strongest was Slug." Seeing the shocked looks on the faces of those who recognized the name he nodded. "Yes, the same Slug we fought a few years ago. Kami recognized him, even if I didn't at the time, but he didn't make the connection. Though more complete than mine his memories still had holes. Anyway, Namek was attacked by a guy calling himself King Frigid and he had with him his son, Lord Cold."

"You're kidding!" Bardock cried in shock. "Then... you and Slug were..."

Piccolo nodded. "We were the ones that killed Frigid after his forces almost completely decimated the Namek population. Only myself, Slug, and Guru survived. Slug and I only made it through thanks to some help from an alien named Razor. He unlocked a power deep within us, far more and far different than what Azura did a few years ago. He told us he worked for someone who wanted the Nameks to survive..."

"You're thinking it's this conspiracy?" Appla asked.

Piccolo nodded. "I do. It's obvious that Slug had to be working for someone and that's the only thing that makes sense."

Raditz nodded. "Yes, that does fit. What I found when I was first looking into the matter wasn't much but it did stretch back several hundred years. I found one planet that had been told not to trust the Sai-jins or the Changelings nearly five hundred years ago. Neither Empire had been formed yet that long ago..."

"But... how would they know about the Sai-jins and Changelings that long ago?" Goku asked. "And why is it taking them so long to come out of the shadows if they've been around that long?"

"That creature, Cell... he said he was from the future, but a different future." Piccolo said trying to remember what he'd heard. "He said that there was no Sai-jin Empire in his time-line, that it should have long since vanished. And while he seemed to have data on everyone he didn't know who Hotaru or Sakura where. Said that they shouldn't be here. According to him things were drastically different than what he knew of the past."

"Well, Trunks and Sakura did change things." Krillin said.

"Trunks?" Bulma asked looking up.

"Oh, that's right, you didn't know yet. The guy that came back with Sakura is Trunks." Krillin said.

"That's not important right now." Piccolo said. "What is important is that Cell mentioned that too, but he also had a good point. He came back 4 years ago, Trunks and Sakura 3 years ago, that doesn't explain changes even further back than that."

"Piccolo's right." Bulma said rocking baby Trunks. "If that Cell thing was right and the past is different even further back than when he arrived that means someone else had to have gone even further back than him."

"Is that possible?" Videl asked. "How could someone from a different time-line end up in ours?"

Bulma shook her head. "I've not done much research on time travel." she said. "But I do know some things. We already know that you can't change the future, only create a new and seperate time-line. From that I say it's safe to assume that each person, or in the case of Trunks and Sakura who travelled together, persons, creates their own seperate time-line. Of course, just because you're going into the past doesn't mean cause and effect isn't still effective, and someone can't go further back than you did, before you went back, if they're coming from further in the future..."

"You're losing me Bulma." Yamcha said.

"Oh, sorry... Hmmm... how to explain it..." She moved so that she was sitting beside Popo's small garden area and picked up a stick. With that she drew a line through the dirt. "Alright, this line here is the time-line. The first and original one. Now, what do we know about changes to it besides Sakura, Trunks, and Cell?" she asked.

"Cell mentioned that Trunks appeared in his time-line as well." Piccolo said. "That lead to the destruction of the Androids. It's why he came back."

"Okay. So we have Trunks going back in time..." she drew a line down from the one already there and then off along beside it. "Now, hmmm." she sat there in thought. "We're agreed that someone came back even further, after Trunks did, right?" The others nodded so she drew a third line, much closer to the start of the first, down and then along below the other two. "That would make three time-lines."

"And then Trunks and Sakura came back." Tien said. "Creating a forth, and Cell makes five."

"Well..." Bulma said gazing at the lines. "I think Cell made four and Trunks and Sakura made five." she said at last. "Cell came from this second time-line, so he would have travelled back before Trunks and Sakura, even if he came from further in the future. And then Trunks and Sakura would have come back creating our time-line."

"I'm lost..." Goku said scratching the back of his head.

"It doesn't matter." Bardock replied. "All that's important is that we now know a bit more of what we're dealing with."

"Time travellers." Piccolo said with a frown. "Whoever this Raven is, she's obviously from the future."

"Maybe." Bulma said. "Or maybe it's just her mate. We don't know. All that we know for sure is that someone came back in time from that original time-line, after Trunks, and created a new one where the Sai-jin Empire lasted." She sighed. "I'll need to talk to Trunks once he's back, compare ideas, see what he can think of. Maybe we can come up with more information..."

"So now what do we do?" Hercule asked.

"We wait." Piccolo replied.

Bardock nodded. "He's right. We can't do anything but wait right now. We may know more about the threat out there but we can't do anything about it, and the threat here on Earth is out of our league at the moment. All we can do is wait and hope that Prince Vegeta and the others have the power to do something when they come back out."

"But Piccolo was faster and stronger than that Cell guy!" Gohan said.

"We still don't know about the rest though." Piccolo said. "It's safer to wait until we have numbers on our side. Once Vegeta finishes his training we'll have more of an advantage, and then we can make our next move."

"What if they do something first?" Hercule asked.

Goku sighed and walked to the edge of the lookout. A breeze blew through flapping the tattered remains of his Gi about. "Unfortunately there's nothing we can do. We'll have to let them have the run of the planet for now. I don't like it but... we don't have any choice."

There was a depressed silence for several minutes before anyone spoke again. Videl had walked over to where 18 stood apart from the others. "I sort of saw what happened down there." she said, breaking the silence. "Ummm... thanks for helping my dad." 18 looked down at the young girl and smiled faintly.

"So... how did you end up as a Cyborg?" Krillin asked.

"It's... a long story..." 18 said softly.

"Well, we have a lot of time to spare." Goku said.

18 remained silent staring off into space. After a few moments of this, Piccolo turned from the group. "You don't have to tell us." he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Some things... are better left unsaid." and with that he walked off into the palace, the others watching him go.

After a moment the Cyborg sighed. "There's no harm in telling you about it." she said softly. She moved over to the edge of the Lookout and sat down dangling her feet over the edge. "It's not exactly... the kindest of stories. But then, I'm sure you all know by now just how much life sucks."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

March 2nd, 5 years ago, about 20 miles north of Bridge Town:

A small convoy of vehicles, all of varying shapes, sizes, designs, and ages, moved along a dirt path kicking up a blinding fog of brown sand in their wake. There were fiften of them in all. Eight small land-based jeeps, each with a large machinegun mounted atop them, two larger land-based jeeps with machine guns mounted on either side and on the back, two large ground-based covered trucks full of people, and three hover cars with front mounted machine guns and side mounted rocket launchers.

There was one hover car to the left, one to the right, and one flying point. Behind the point car the two larger jeeps rolled along side by side. Next came three of the eight smaller jeeps followed by the two transport trucks, each with a jeep beside it, and then the final three jeeps took up the rear. It was a fairly common sight not just in this part of the world but in several locations for hundreds of miles in any direction. Autoro and his gang of thugs, brutes, outcasts, outlaws, and just general unwanted rabble.

Those working for Autoro came in even more shapes, sizes, and designs than the convoy of vehicles that they travelled in. Some where just overly violent by nature and for such reasons didn't fit in with normal society. Others were on the run from the law for one thing or another, like Autoro himself, and had just happened upon this 'merry band of misfits' while others simply had nowhere else to be.

Today, like most days, they were on the move. It was harder for the police to track them down if they moved around a lot. And less encounters with the cops meant more bullets for the towns and scattered homes they hit. Today's move wasn't quite typical though. They weren't moving to avoid the police, they were moving to intercept them. Some rich guy or other had apparently gone flat broke, gambled away all his money. And in an attempt to get it back he'd kidnapped some other rich guy's daughter. Things had then gone from bad to worse. His hostage was now dead and he was running from the police.

However, he also had the ransom money on him. All fifty billion Zenni. That was far too much money for Autoro to simply let slip through his fingers. And so he'd had the whole camp pack up and move out. The plan was to intercept the police pursuing the guy, eliminate them, and then 'pursuade' the guy to hand over the money. It had been decided that spliting up the convoy would be the best means of pulling this off.

Two of the hover cars, one of the larger jeeps, four of the smaller jeeps, and one of the transport trucks would head for the police. The rest would go and track down the former rich man. Autoro wouldn't normally put so large a force against one man, not when the others were up against the police, but the police broadcasts they'd intercepted indicated that he had some heavy firepower on him and was so freaked out by the situation he was shooting at anything that even faked a movement.

"Alright, here's where we split up!" a highpitched voice yelled out loudly so as to be heard over the roar of the trucks. "Boss says the police are 8 miles to the east! Shouldn't take more than five or six minutes to catch them!" The tall and skinny man in the brown slacks and jacket didn't get so much as a nod from the others in the truck to show he'd been heard. Not that he'd expect anything else.

Right by the exit at the back of the truck sat the two youngest members of the little gang of outlaws. The 16 year old twins, Gainin and his older sister Mijima. The boy had shoulder length black hair and blue eyes and was wearing a pair of brown boots, desert cammo pants, a black t-shirt, and a desert cammo jacket. 

The girl across from him had shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes and was dressed quite differently than her brother. She had on a pair of knee-high black boots, a black mini skirt, and a black tank-top. While he looked dressed for war she didn't. But then, Mijima always preferred fashion over function.

The boy had a large machine gun standing between his legs, his arms crossed over the top of the barrel and his chin resting on his arms, the red scarf intended to keep the sand out of his nose and mouth currently hanging lose around his neck. His sister was sitting leaning back in her seat, arms up behind her head, eyes closed. She had a pair of smaller sub machine guns resting on her lap and her own black scarf was already up over her face.

They continued on in all but silence, the roars of the trucks echoing off of everything, seemingly even empty space. Finally the sound of sirens began to cut through the loud engines and everyone in the truck shifted about grabbing their weapons and getting ready for the battle. A few glanced about at the others wondering who of them would be celebrating tonight and who would be food for the jackals and vultures. The twins simply picked up their weapons and nodded to each other. With the van still moving they stood and, gripping the side of the truck, flipped out into the open and then climbed up on top of the vehicle.

Gainin reached down and pulled his scarf up over his face and used an arm to shield his eyes from the blowing dust and dirt. He could see the police cars not much further up now, twenty of the hovering style and six ground vehicles, all of them armored tanks. He glanced over to his sister and she nodded. The two moved up along the top of the truck and then turned to the two hover cars on either side of their truck. The gunner inside each give them the thumbs up and then a second later a volley of rockets were blasting along the way toward the police.

A moment later a series of loud explosions sounded as the rockets either hit a car or slammed into the ground. The rocket attack quickly drew the attentions of the police and they pulled to a stop, as did the convoy that had attacked them. Instantly people began pouring out of the back of the large truck and taking up positions behind the stopped cars and jeeps. The twins dropped off the top of the truck and moved behind one of the stopped cars as well.

Mijima slipped along to the back edge of the car and peeked around it at where the cops were now doing the same as them. Meanwhile Gainin lay out on the ground and slipped under the floating hover car. There was a few moments of silence and then the loud booming voice of their leader echoed out over the speakers mounted on the large truck. "This is Autoro, leader of the Autoro Gang! You will drop your weapons or we will open fire!"

"This is police chief Boar, we know who you are Autoro! And you're nuts if you think we'll just surrender to the likes of you!" a gruff voice called.

"Have it your way." Autoro replied. "All men, open fire!" And with that the gunfight began. 


	14. Kataki

Chapter Fourteen - Kataki

"Rotagor, get the heavy artillery out!" Mijima cried ducking back behind the car again. The gunfight had stretched on for nearly ten minutes now and the Autoro Gang had already lost a tenth of it's forces. Of course, there were only a hundred of them there, so that only meant ten dead, but it was more than she was willing to account for. As the short but muscular Rotagor scurried off to get the big guns on-line, the girl turned her blue eyes towards the large truck were Autoro sat with his arms crossed.

At the sight of him just sitting there she scowled. "Damn him." she muttered.

"He's not worth the breath." Gainin said climbing out from under the car. "I'm out of ammo. What do you say to cutting the crap and just blasting them to hell?" Mijima's answer was cut off by the loud roar of the large machine guns firing. She moved over and looked around the corner of the car. The larger and stronger bullets of the big guns tore through the cars like paper but were still being deflected by the armored cars.

She looked up and motioned to the gunners to shut down again. As the silence prevailed again she stood up and moved out around the car tossing her sub machine guns off to one of the others. Gainin stood as well and moved around the other side of the car until he was standing beside his sister. "You ready?" he asked.

Mijima merely smirked. The twins turned and pressed their backs together. Mijima raised her right arm and Gainin his left, their palms side by side. And then both of them took on looks of intensity, as though they were trying to push an enitre mountain. Light began to swirl around their palms. Blue and red. It swirled and gathered into a single purple ball. The cops across the way, nearly fifty yards, watched on in wonder. They'd heard of these two but none had seen them in action.

Finally the looks of intensity and concentration faded. "Double Barrel Blaster!" they cried in unison. The purple ball of light they'd formed shot off at high speed across the distance between them and the cops. Those hiding behind the cars instantly dove for cover. The blast hit the side of one of the armored cars and exploded flipping it onto it's side and denting the point of impact considerably.

"Whimps!" a voice called laughing over the speakers as the cops quickly gathered up their things and ran. As the door to the truck opened the twins made their way back over to the others. "Nicely done you two, chased them off good!" Autoro laughed. "Alright you misfits, let's check and make sure they're all gone!" he called loudly. "Don't want no one screwing up the others!"

All those still alive and uninjured instantly scrambled off to check on the police cars with Gainin taking up point. Mijima was the only healthy fighter that hung back as she moved about bandaging the injured. As she moved over toward one guy she saw him holding his arm, his sleeve stained with blood, she came to a stop. There, at her feet, was the new girl, Neophia. She'd almost missed her laying in the deep grass. Bending down she checked the girl's pulse and frowned, it was pretty weak. She had a gunshot wound in her abdomen, probably pretty bad. "Damn. Dactar!" she called over her shoulder. "I need the full kit!"

"Scratch that!" Autoro called over to Dactar who'd made to get the primary medical supplies.

"Without the right treatment she's not going to make it!" Mijima said darkly.

"That's her problem. I'm not wasting good supplies on trash." Autoro growled as he walked over to the two of them. Reaching where Neophia lay he nudged her with his foot a couple times and the girl grimaced but made no sounds. "She's already half gone anyway. You'd be lucky to have a 50/50 chance even with the full kit. Now, go tend to the others you can do something about."

"I can do something about her!" she yelled. "Dactar, the kit!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Autoro growled. His foot shot out and smashed into Mijima's face knocking her onto her back. "Now, go tend to the others!"

The girl reached up and touched a hand to her face, pulling it back she saw blood and scowled. Glancing up she saw Autoro glare at her a moment longer and then head off toward the others and the police cars. As soon as he'd gone she was up on her feet. "Dactar, the kit!" she ordered still wiping blood off her chin.

"But Autoro sai..."

"Give me the damn kit, now!"

The man nodded quickly, turned, and rummaged through the supplies in his jeep. A second later he pulled out the large full kit which had the more useful and more expensive supplies. The stuff needed to deal with the more extreme injuries. A moment later she was kneeling beside the girl again, the kit open beside her, and treating her wound. She'd just finished applying a couple of medicines, the healing spray, and a bandage, when she felt the ground vibrating under her.

Pausing in what she was doing, she looked at the ground for a second. She could just barely make out the small pebbles shifting their positions. Standing she looked around for any sign of what could be causing the rumbling. Looking to the east she could just barely make out something large glinting in the light and moving slowly. "No fucking way..." she breathed. "Kataki! Kataki's coming!" she called frantically.

Instantly those still in the area stood alert and looked around. It only took them a few moments to spot the massive armored vehicle in the distance that carried Kataki and her own little gang. The main rivals of the Autoro Gang. Now was not the time to be getting into a fight with Kataki and her men. Not when their own forces were split up and a number of the ones with them were hurt or dead.

As they spied the vehicle nearing quickly, cries sounded throughout the area and Mijima turned and ran toward the police cars and the others. "Kataki! It's Kataki!" she called as she ran. She was halfway there when someone in the other group finally heard her and turned. A moment later those at the police cars were moving back quickly to the cover of their own vehicles. Rumor had it Kataki and Autoro had once been on... very good terms. And then something had caused a falling out between them. Only Mijima and Gainin knew the real truth, and only due to circumstances.

By the time the large armored vehicle pulled to a stop, all of Autoro's gang was gathered back behind their own vehicles again, and Autoro himself was standing in front of them. There was a hiss and then a rush of air as the side of the armored vehicle opened. A moment later Kataki emerged. While Autoro was a bald, massive, six and a half foot tall, built like a tree with massive muscles that made his triple extra large clothes seem painted, hulk of a man, Kataki was a short five foot even. Long flowing black hair, slim and slender. And female. It was often pointed out the two, by appearances at least, were exact opposites.

However, anyone that spent five mintues with them both would soon realize that while they were opposites on the outside they were identicle on the inside. "Autoro. Going after my money I see." she said with a scowl.

"Your money? What the hell are you talking about?"

Kataki laughed. "My fifty million Zenni of course!"

Autoro smirked. "Really, it's yours is it? Says who?"

"Me, for one, you dumb oaf. And that's all that matters. Though I thought I'd stop by and thank you for getting the cops off of my men."

"Actually, I got them off of mine." Autoro replied. "So, I suppose you sent people ahead as well, no? This is most interesting. By now your other morons are all dead and my men have my money."

Kataki turned around and walked back to her ride without a word. As she did, however, the front of the vheicle split open to reveal two metal skeletons. Instantly their eyes began to glow red and they walked out into the light of day. Kataki turned and faced Autoro again, grinning. "The latest in technology." she said. "Snatched them up from Mech-Tech last week."

"New toys." Autoro said shaking his head.

"Well, they're much more reliable than the trash you run with..." as she said this her eyes fell on Mijima and Gainin and her scowl returned. "Unit Two, Unit Three, kill them all."

"Orders confirmed. Extermination mode active." they replied mechanically. Their arms then came up revealing a pair of machine guns mounted on them. However, they never got the chance to fire at Autoro and his gang. With a cry Autoro thrust both of his arms forward and a rush of force knocked them both flat on their backs, their bullets sailed high into the air instead.

"Oh, now I'm really scared." Kataki said rolling her eyes. "Well, those things are obviously defective. But that's no problem. I've got one last little trick up my sleeve to deal with you Autoro. You see, once I learned of the kidnapping and ransom incident, unlike you, I prepared. I had a feeling you'd try and steal my money. So I hired someone."

Someone new emerged from her vehicle. He was wearing a simple outfit, had his hands clasped behind his back, and seemed to be wearing a metal helmet with built in binoculars. He moved to stand beside Kataki and cast a glance down at the robots which had finally stopped shooting. "I can recomend much better robots than those." he said after a moment. "Another employer of mine makes them."

Turning his head from them, he gazed first at Autoro and then those behind him. After a moment his eyes fell upon Gainin and Mijima. "Most impressive..." he said, before turning his attention back to Autoro. "So then. Shall we get this over with?"

Autoro laughed. "Sure thing you shrimp. I'm going to enjoy snapping you in two!"

"Don't kill him, Tao." Kataki said. "I want to do that myself... at a later date."

"Very well." Tao replied walking forward slowly. Autoro growled and launched a large fist at the man walking toward him but he simply vanished. Autoro turned at the sound of startled gasps from his men and found Tao standing behind him, his back to him. With a loud roar he threw another punch but once more his opponent vanished. Then came the crack and Autoro fell to the ground, flat on his face. No one present, however, had seen what had knocked him down.

"There, it's taken care of." Tao said, turning around again. "What of the rest?"

"Leave them." Kataki said with a shrug. "We have money to get to." And with that they re-entered the vehicle and rode off.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Present, the Lookout:

Gohan had listened intently to 18's story, having eventually taken a seat at the edge of the Lookout beside her, and felt sad for her. He wasn't the only one either. Krillin and Yamcha were both staring at their feet fidgeting a little. Both thinking they should say something but not sure what. Fortunately, Bulma saved them from having to. "Wow... that's..."

18 smiled slightly and laughed a little too. "Ya, not the best, is it? But it was life." She shook her head slowly as she looked down at the Earth. "My brother and I had never seen Autoro lose before. We'd never even seen him challenged before. So it was rather shocking. He wanted to go chasing after Kataki and find out how Tao was so fast and strong but... I managed to talk him out of it. As bad as things were with Autoro we'd have been worse chasing after Kataki. Little did we know Tao would come back looking for us later."

"I'm impressed the two of you could use Ki attacks like that." Bardock said moving over to the edge of the Lookout and taking a seat as well.

"Autoro went to the 21st Budokai with the intent of stealing the winner's prize money." 18 said. "After the tournament ended, however, he didn't care about the prize money anymore. He wanted to learn how to use attacks like those he'd seen in the ring." she sighed. "He spent years figuring it out and we sort of just picked it up along the way..."

"You were with him then too?" Videl asked, suprised. "But... the 21st Budokai was so long ago... you'd have just been little kids back then..."

"We were four." 18 said nodding. "It'll make sense later."

"So what happened after Kataki and Tao left?" Hecule asked.

"While I convinced my brother not to go chasing after them Dactar tended to Autoro. He finally came to again several hours later and by then the rest of our men had returned. They'd managed to get the money from Kataki's people but then ran into her and Tao and didn't stand a chance. Half of them had been killed in those two fights... it was the worst blow the Autoro Gang had ever taken... and the fact it came from Kataki had Autoro seriously pissed off.

"We moved off to the north, into the mountains, and set up a temporary camp while he worked out a war plan. He'd become determined to wipe out Kataki's entire group. So, for the next couple of weeks, he planned and prepared, sending small teams out to get supplies and to scout out Kataki's activities."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

March 27th, 5 years ago, about 50 miles southwest of North City:

It looked almost like an "in progress" city. A mini construction site. There were small wooden shacks scattered about through the canyons and on the mountain sides. Canvas covered guard posts dotted the landscape as well. It was the most fortified and organized outpost Autoro had ever established. The entire purpose of it was to wipe out Kataki and her men. It had become clearly apparent to everyone that Autoro had become obsessed with it.

Mijima was suprised only that it had taken him so long. "Lover's quarrels are pointless." Gainin said dropping another pile of firewood to the ground with the others already gathered.

"You think love is pointless." Mijima pointed out, not even looking up from the gun she was cleaning.

"True." her brother replied with a shrug. "But just look at all this. All this effort just to attack Kataki. If he even put half of this thought into anything else we could probably take over Capital City."

"Well, look at it this way. If we're lucky they might kill each other."

Gainin snorted. "If we were lucky they'd have done that years ago."

"Alright!" A voice echoed through the canyons. Autoro's voice. "Izu's on his way back, just called in. So, everyone, start packing up! We move out tonight!"

"He'd kill us all if it gave him the chance to get Kataki." Mijima said with a sigh. "Well, let's get packing." 


	15. War in Ginger Town

Chapter 15 - War in Ginger Town 

The sun had just set a few minutes ago and they were already well on the way. By the time Izu had returned to camp everyone had packed up and they were all on the move again. According to Izu's report Kataki and her gang had taken up residence in an abandoned school in Ginger Town. Now they were heading there for what Autoro was calling the 'final battle against the bitch'. Considering all the weapons he'd stockpiled, Mijima had a feeling it would be the last battle.

It took another three hours to reach Ginger Town and then they were rolling through the small city's streets, those still out at the late hour watching them go by in wonder. A few minutes later the trucks slowed and then stopped. "Alright, we're going to take the last three blocks on foot." Autoro said through the radio system. "It'll be harder for them to spot us on foot than in our convoy. You all know what you're supposed to do, move out!"

"Harder to see us and easier to shoot us you mean." Gainin said climbing down out of the truck, Mijima beside him. Both firmly holding to a large machine gun.

His sister glanced at him but didn't say anything. She motioned to the others in the truck and everyone began to climb out. After a moment she grabbed one of them by the shoulder. "Neophia, keep your head down this time." she said. The other girl nodded nervously as she adjusted the weight of her gun. She may have been older than Mijima but she was still unused to holding a gun let alone being shot at.

Turning she joined her brother at the front of the group. The two of them were to lead the second group, Autoro would be leading the first. Watching ahead of them they saw Autoro's group moving in the darkness down the street and then around the corner. He was going to come from the back of the building while they took the front. Once his group was out of sight Mijima motioned to her group and they moved forward at a jog. It only took a moment to reach the block where the school was.

She pulled to a stop at the corner across the street and lifted her binoculars to her eyes. "There's no one outside, I guess it would be too dangerous to have armed men patrolling in a city like this." she said as she moved to look at the windows. "Hmm, Gainin, take a look at this. Coordinates are 68 by 72 by 23."

"Hmmm?" he reached down and lifted his binoculars and looked where she said. There, in the window, barely visable in the low light of the moon above, was Kataki. "I'll be damned..." he whispered. Turning he dropped his machine gun and moved back along the line a few people and grabbed one of the sniper rifles.

"Gainin, what are you doing?" Mijima asked as he moved behind a car and set up the gun using the vehicle as support.

"I'm taking her out now, what's it look like? I'm not storming that place and risking my neck just so Autoro can kill her himself."

"Are you nuts?" Mijima cried grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from the scope. "I'd rather risk my neck in a gunfight than with an angry Autoro."

"Then stay back, I'll take the heat." he replied shrugging his sister off. Then he leaned back in and put his eye to the scope again. He shifted his position a little moving the cross hairs of the scope to the needed window and then zoomed in until Kataki's face filled his view. She was leaning against the windowsill gazing up at the sky. His finger slipped from the trigger of the gun as he gazed at her. In the pale moon light, even with long black her sillhouetting her face, the resemblance to Mijima unnerved him. It was usually unnoticeable but now... unmistakeable.

He shook his head and moved his finger back to the trigger. Tilting the gun slightly he shifted the crosshairs up to her forhead and took a breath. "Gainin..." Mijima whispered. His finger moved again. He could hear it in her voice...

"Why? What for?" he said as he steadied his aim. "I can kill her now and get it over with, I'll take the heat from Autoro."

Mijima closed her eyes and turned her head away from the school. "I know she's not been the greatest to us... she's not even been there at all... but she's still our mother Gainin..."

He frowned as his finger moved from the trigger again. After a moment though he put it back where it had been. "She's only our mother by genetics." he said, shifting his position a little to match Kataki's new position in the window. As he did he heard the soft clicks of Mijima's feet and figured she was walking away from him not wanting any part of it. But then suddenly one of her eyes filled the scope of the gun as she stepped in front of it. "Mijima..."

"Sorry Gainin, I can't..."

Her brother sighed and stood. "Alright. We'll do it your way then." He handed the sniper rifle back to it's owner and picked up his own gun. "Ok, all of you into your positions, move!" he ordered. As they all left his sister came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're too soft Mijima. This world is going to eat you alive if you stay like that."

Before she could answer him he was jogging across the street toward the school. She wouldn't get the chance to talk to him until this was over... if they both lived through it. Hefting her gun she ran off after her brother who was currently ducked behind a car parked in front of the school. Ducking down with him she reached up and activated her radio. "We're in position now."

"What took so long? Bah, never mind!" came Autoro's voice. "Throw the signal and lets go!"

Mijima reached into her pocket and pulled out the small device that was the 'signal' for the attack. A flash bang. Taking a deep breath she depressed the button activating the timer and then pitched it into the school courtyard. A second later it exploded in a bright flash and with a thunderous crack. As soon as it went off the quiet city filled with the sounds of gunfire. Looking up she could see the mirror inside the car and in it the reflection of the others she was with storming into the school.

"You ready?" Gainin asked. She nodded and both darted around the car and toward the school, guns raised looking for a target. All around them bullets flew, shots fired from the snipers and cover men stationed around the building. A supressing rain of bullets to make it easier for the attackers to get inside with little resistance. A moment later she was going up the front steps and could see the others already opening the doors and securing the entry.

Reaching them Gainin nodded to a guy on the right and motioned to one on the left and the three started down the left hall. Looking at those left she saw Neophia and Izu. She gave each a and hand motion and they nodded back. A second later the three of them were heading down the right hall. Mijima was happy with the building layout so far. There were only rooms on one side of the hall, not both, so they only had to check one side for people.

Nearing the third door in the hall she took her position on right side of the door, Izu in front, and Neophia on the left. With a nod from the blonde, Neophia moved forward, grabbed the door knob, and pulled the door open. Izu moved in scanning the room and then Mijima followed leaving the other girl outside as a lookout. The room they were in was an office with two other rooms, one in the back and one on the right.

Motioning to the right hand room Mijima made her way over there. Izu yanked the door open and she moved around the corner readying her gun. But the room was empy, only an old wooden desk and a pair of empty filing cabinets. Pulling back out the two started toward the room in the back. Both froze a second later as gunfire sounded in the hall outside. Turning around, the blonde girl ran to the door and pulled it open quickly. Neophia had taken cover in the archway of the door, behind the stone wall and metal lockers.

The other girl's gun lay on the ground in a small puddle of blood and she was holding her arm, her eyes queezed shut tightly. Mijima turned to Izu who still stood in the middle of the room and held out her hand. He nodded and reached into his bag pulling out a grenade and tossing it to her. She pulled the pin, flipped the top, and then reached her arm out and pitched it blindly down the hall. The gunfire stopped instantly and she heard the sounds of running, and then the grenade exploded.

She moved out around the corner, knelt down in the middle of the hall, raised her gun, and opened fire spraying the hall with bullets. She heard a few cries of pain before the clip emptied and she moved back into cover. Pulling the emtpy clip out of her gun she loaded in a fresh one. "Think you can shoot?" she asked Neophia. As soon as the girl looked up at her she knew she couldn't, her eyes were wide and full of fear.

"Damn." Turning she looked back to Izu who was standing at the back door. She held her breath as he pulled it open and then moved around and into the room. No sooner had he gone in, then the room lit up with gunfire. Shifting her position she aimed her gun across the room toward the door and waited. A second later her eyes widened as a grenade came sailing out of the room toward her. "Shit!" Dropping her gun she grabbed Neophia and jumped into the hall and around the corner just before it exploded.

Before she could even move to get on her feet again she heard three seperate clicks from above her. Clicks she knew. Clicks of guns being cocked. She shut her eyes and waited for the bullets but nothing came. And then she heard talking. Slowly she opened her eyes and raised her head to look up. There were two people standing there with their guns aimed down at her, one with his gun aimed at Neophia, and another six standing behind them.

"So, which one of them is Mijima?" the middle guy with the gun asked.

"The blonde girl, I think." one of the six in the back said.

"You think?" the first asked, annoyed.

"I don't know for sure, just ask the whore, geez."

"I'm not a whore!" she spat.

"Shut-up!" the first guy sneered kicking her in the face for emphasis. He then turned to look at the others again. "And I think you're right, this other girl is too cowardly to be the famous Mijima."

Mijima looked over beside her and saw Neophia laying on her stomach as well, her arms up over her head as though to protect it if the guys shot, and her eyes shut tight. She was also obviously trying hard not to cry. Sighing she turned her eyes back to her apparent captors as she moved her hands underneath her body. "Yes, I'm Mijima."

"Ah, see?" a female voice sounded from the back six.

The owner of that voice stepped forward and Mijima caught sight of her between the two guys in a front of her. Slim but tall which made her look lanky, black eye shadow, black lipstick, black nail polish, black boots, black fishnet stockings, and small black dress. She knew only one person in Kataki's group with fashion taste that bad. "Dawn."

"You remember me, I'm touched." the woman cooed stepping between the two guys and kneeling down. "You have no idea how happy I am you came this way. I'm going to have fun with you."

"Autoro's going to rip you in half once he's done with Kataki after what you pulled." Mijima laughed. "I'm not afraid of you."

"And I'm not afraid of Autoro." Dawn said standing back up. "By the time Kataki's done with him he won't even be a blood stain on the walls." As she turned away from her, Mijima pushed herself up to her feet and thrust her arms forward. The blue energy she'd gathered during the short exchange shot out and slammed into Dawn's back and then exploded. The blast blinded the others and Mijima grabbed Neophia and took off down the hall.

As they turned to run, Mijima saw a shadow in the doorway of the office they'd come from a moment ago. Quickly she shoved Neophia forward, the girl stumbling and nearly falling, and dove for her gun laying in the hall. She managed to pick it up, turn, and shoot, before the guy standing there had the chance to react. Grabbing the other girl again she took off down the hall shooting back the way she'd come. It only took a moment to reach one of the already checked rooms and she dove in pulling the other girl with her. Slamming it shut she grabbed a chair and jammed it under the door knob.

Slumping against the wall she slid to the floor breathing heavily, face in her hands. She could hear Neophia crying now a few feet away. Putting her hand against the ear piece of her raido she linked with the others. "Mijima here, I'm pinned down, second room in the right hall."

"You too?" came Gainin's voice followed by gunfire. "Damn! I think she knew we were coming!"

Mijima sighed. "Gainin... I'm sorry... If I'd have let you take the shot..."

"Don't even finish that Mijima!" her brother yelled. A series of explosions then sounded through the radio and she felt them where she was, and then silence. She held her breath waiting for Gainin to come back. "Ha!" his voice cried happily. "Got them all, the morons! Alright Mijima, hold tight, I'm coming!"

She sighed and moved her hand back down. "Help's on the way." she said to Neophia. "You... really should get out of this. You're not suited for it."

Neophia shook her head. "I can't. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"No friends or family?" she asked.

The other shook her head again. "No. All I'd had left was my mother and she died shortly before you guys found me." Mijima nodded and looked toward the door as she heard banging against it. Their pursuers had found them and were trying to get access. Neophia watched in fear for a moment but then decided to try and get her mind off the situation. "What about you? Why do you stay? Don't you have any other family besides Gainin?"

Mijima laughed. "I stay because... it's all I have as well. It sucks, but it's better than starving to death. As for family..." she shook her head. "It's dysfunctional to say the least." she leaned her head back against the wall and sighed, ignoring the banging on the door. "But what do you expect with Kataki as a mother and Autoro for a father."

"W-what?" Neophia cried shocked.

She laughed again. "Ya, can't really picture them together, can you? There was a time though, before Gainin and I were born. But then, afterwards... Kataki caught Autoro wtih someone else. Everyone knew but she didn't listen until she saw it. Since then she's wanted nothing to do with him or us. And he barely tolerates us. But, like I said, it's better than starving."

"Was it that Dawn person?" Neophia asked. "I heard what you said to her."

"That lanky bean pole?" Mijima laughed. "No. She tried a few times to get him in bed but it never worked. What she did... she's the one that arranged for Kataki to catch him." She stopped as gunfire rang through the halls again and she could hear her brother's voice calling out orders.

A moment later the gunfire ended and silence descended once more. And then there was a knock on the door. "Mijima, you in there?" Gainin asked.

"Ya, I'm here."

"It's clear."

She pushed herself to her feet and then helped Neophia up. Grabbing her gun she moved over to the door and moved the chair so she could open it. Standing in the hall was Gainin and five others from their group. Those who'd followed after her laid scattered about on the floor dead and bleeding. The only one not dead was Dawn who was pinned against the wall by the large Treenk. "Izu's dead, I think." she said.

Gainin nodded. "You?"

"I'm good... Neophia's been hit though."

"I-it's ok." she said, looking at her arm. "Just a scratch, I think it grazed me."

Mijima moved passed her brother and looked at the scowling Dawn. "Treenk, take her outside and lock her up. I think Autoro's going to want to... talk to her later."

Treenk sneered. "Heh, ya, I bet! All right, let's go." he said moving back and yanking her arm.

As the two of them moved down the hall, another gunman falling in beside him as he went, Mijima turned back to Gainin. "We were anticipated."

"Ya, I noticed. Ideas?"

"Spy?"

"Maybe."

"Where's Autoro?"

"Dunno. When I got the back-up to come here I was told to pull out... I don't know what's going on."

"Do you think... he got her already?"

"One way to find out, come on."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Present, Lookout:

"That's horrible..." Gohan said wide-eyed.

18 managed to smile lightly as she dropped onto her back and stared up at the red sky. "Could have gone a lot worse." she said. "If 17 hadn't been there... back then he and I were a lot closer. We were all we had. But over the years we've drifted apart." she sighed. "I don't think he'd come to my rescue these days."

"So, did Autoro get Kataki?" Yamcha asked.

18 nodded. "Apparently she tried to sneak out during the commotion but Autoro saw her. And then we learned that she really had known we were coming, thanks to Izu."

"Izu? You mean, the guy you and Neophia were with?" Videl asked.

"Ya, one and the same. The gunfire in the room had been faked. He was the one that threw the grenade, the one I shot when running from Dawn and the others. Kataki just hadn't expected us quite that soon or she'd have been gone already."

"I don't get how this is tied to you becoming a Cyborg though." Raditz interjected.

18 sighed. "I told you it was a long story."


	16. Falling Out

Chapter Sixteen - Falling Out

By now everyone listening to 18's story had taken a seat around her. Videl and Gohan were on either side of her, Hercule, Bulma, Goku, and Bardock by the trees on the right, and the others sitting by the trees on the left. Krillin had his legs crossed, elbows on his knees, and head in his hands. Yamcha noticed that the short Human was staring at 18 rather intently. He also recognized that stare from a few years ago on the lookout, when it was him staring at Hotaru... Smiling to himself he shook his head and turned his attention back to 18.

"So, what happened next?" Gohan asked.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

March 28th, 5 years ago, about 50 miles southwest of North City:

Mijima groaned and rolled over trying to get the sun out of her eyes. It didn't work though. "Damn... stupid fucking sun..." she muttered putting an arm over her eyes. She heard faint laughing nearby and lifted her arm a little, turned her head, and looked. "Neophia?" she mumbled. "Oh... shit." she groaned sitting up and rubbing her head. 

Bits and pieces of the celebration the previous night finally drifting back to her mind. That would explain why she felt half dead. She'd spent half the night partying and drinking. "This is a hell of a hangover..."

"Considering how much you drank I'm suprised you're conscious." Neophia said laughing again. "Didn't think you'd be up for a while yet."

Mijima rubbed her eyes and tried to unfog her mind a little. "What happened? I remember dancing..." she shook her head as colored lights swam passed her eyes. "Shit... I didn't do... anything stupid, did I?" she asked looking over to the other girl and finally noticing she wasn't in the cave she'd set her room up in.

"Almost, but Gainin and I saved you." she replied. "Treenk tried to get you to go off with him..."

"Ugh... that pervert."

Neophia laughed. "Ya. I got Gainin and he went and got you." The girl stood and walked over to her and handed her a thermos of coffee. "By then you were passed out so we just laid you here in my room."

Mijima nodded and took the coffee. "Thanks." She paused in lifting the thermos to her mouth as a loud scream sounded through the mountains again.

"Sounds like Dawn's conscious again..." Neophia said softly. "Autoro's been at her all day... I've never seen him like this..."

"As much as he hates Kataki these days he hates Dawn more." Mijima said as the screams faded away. "Where's Kataki being held?"

Neophia laughed. "Gainin said that'd be one of the first things you asked. I'll take you to her, but... you might want to get dressed first." 

Mijima looked down and groaned, her shirt and bra were missing. "I take it Treenk has them?"

"Probably."

A few mintues later they were walking toward one of the small wooden shack-like cabins that had been built. It hadn't taken long for Mijima to grab a new top from her clothes pile and then get her missing items back from Treenk, who was most likely still laying on the ground after the low blow he'd received on Mijima's way out. "So, this is it then?" Mijima asked as they stopped. Neophia nodded. "Wait out here."

"Ok."

The blonde opened the door to the cabin and walked in closing it behind her. The sight before her was rather shocking. "Gainin?" she asked suprised. "I didn't expect you to be here..." Across the room Gainin stood scowling at Kataki who was chained to the wall. It was obvious by her appearance, the bruises and dried blood, that Autoro had already come by earlier.

"Just thought I'd say... hi." he said, not taking his eyes off of her. He shook his head and turned. "She's all yours." he said walking passed Mijima and then out the door.

She watched her brother go and then turned her attention back to Kataki. "Autoro's rubbing off on him more than he thinks." Kataki said, wincing a little.

Mijima sighed and shook her head. "He's just... lost."

"So, why are you here?" Kataki asked, that same look of distaste on her face as always.

"Look, I know Autoro's an ass." she said crossing her arms. "But you knew that before the two of you got together. It's not mine or Gainin's fault."

"He was changing before that... whore." Kataki said. "And before I got pregnant with you two brats. Besides, anything that's part of him I want nothing to do with."

Mijima remained silent for a long moment just staring at her mother. The other woman averted her eyes after a moment of constant eye contact and she had a feeling Kataki wasn't telling her the truth. "You're lying, I can tell."

"Just... leave me alone." Kataki said. Mijima frowned but didn't move. She just kept staring at the other. Finally Kataki sighed and slumped over a bit like she was giving in. "After catching him with Luta, he and I got into a pretty bad argument... Things only got worse from that point and as you know we split apart. He... made the threat a few times to hurt you or your brother to get at me so..."

"You acted like you didn't care about us."

Kataki nodded slightly. "A mother, no matter who she is, is still a mother." she said softly. "My one weakness that Autoro could exploit. I figured you were safer with him..."

Mijima didn't get the chance to reply as a loud explosion sounded from outside and shook the floor. She turned and ran to the door quickly throwing it open. She could see smoke billowing into the air not more than fifty yards away. "Neophia, what the hell was that?"

The other girl looked back at her, eyes wide in shock and fear and face pale. "Gainin... Autoro... I... I don't know what caused it but... they're..." she stopped as a loud crack sounded from within the smoke and Gainin came sailing out of it slamming into the shack where Mijima and Kataki were, cracking the wall.

"Damn it, Gainin, what'd you do this time?" Mijima cried as Autoro emerged from the smoke, a look of anger etched on his face unlike anything she'd seen.

Gainin put a hand to his head and shook it a couple of times as he stood. Then he turnead and spat the blood out of his mouth before answering her. "I told him to fuck off, among other things. Look, I've had it with him and everything else. One way or another it ends now."

"You're right about that you little..." Autoro growled. "I'm going to do what I should have done years ago!"

Mijima stood there holding the door frame looking back and forth between Gainin and Autoro. She knew fighting him was a very dumb and probably suicidal move but... Gainin was still her brother. "Neophia, stay back." she called as she jogged over to her brother. "You ready?"

He nodded. The two turned and pressed their backs together and held their arms out. Autoro stopped still a dozen yards away and smirked at them as the other members of the gang gathered on the cliffs around them to watch. Blue and red energy swirled about in front of their palms forming into a purple ball of energy. The energy ball swelled to the size of a softball and still kept growing. A moment later it had doubled in size and the twin called out. "Double Barrel Blaster!"

The energy shot off at high speed toward Autoro throwing dust out as it zipped along. Autoro reached out an arm and caught the blast in one hand defelecting it up into the sky. "You two may be stronger than the other wimps around here but I'm still the top dog." With a roar he surged in toward them, his feet thundering on the ground as he ran.

Gainin took a step back but before he could do anything more he had a fist slamming into his stomach lifting him off his feet. Mijima moved in and threw a punch at Autoro's head but he defelected it with his other arm and then smashed his open palm into her face knocking her through the wall and back into the shack. As she climbed back to her feet she saw Autoro's fist crack across her brother's jaw spinning him around and knocking him through the whole she'd made to land on the floor.

Holding her hands to her sides, she focused and a pink glow began to form around them. She watched as Gainin climbed to his feet holding his jaw and could tell from the way it looked that it was broken. Her brother ignored the pain though and turned toward Autoro again. He lashed out with a right kick but his opponent grabbed his leg with one hand and then slammed his other hand into his shin with a loud crack and a cry of pain from Gainin.

As soon as he collapsed to the ground again Mijima thrust her arms foward. "Power Wave!" The pink energy flared out and then a stream of Ki surged toward Autoro. He brought his arms up and caught the attack with both hands holding it off without trouble. There was a flash of white from his hands and a blast of energy surged toward her pushing her own attack away like it was nothing. She ended her attack and brought her arms up quickly, the impact slammed her back into the wall cracking it.

Another crack sounded a second later followed by another cry from her brother and she saw that Autoro had stomped on his left arm. /Damn... we're not going to get through this.../ she thought. With a yell she pushed off the wall and lunged at Autoro launching a fist for his face. 

He grabbed her arm out of the air as she neared and held her up to eye level. "You don't get it, do you bitch?" he growled. "You. Can't. Beat. Me." He emphasized each word with a hard punch to her stomach. Then he let go of her arm and backhanded her off to the side. Despite how much pain she was in, she managed to land on her hands and flip right back to her feet. Her eyes darted around the small room of the shack and then out the door beside her.

Neophia was still standing there looking scared. And then she saw it. The girl had a gun belt on with a pistol in the holster. Mijima ran out the door and grabbed the gun out of Neopia's holster before she could even react. Moving to the hole in the wall she raised the gun aiming it for Autoro's head. "Alright, that's enough!" she panted. "You may be stronger than us but you're not bullet proof..."

Autoro stopped kicking Gainin and turned to glare at her. Bending down he picked up Gainin and then wrapped an arm around him holding him tight so he couldn't move. "Go ahead, shoot!" he laughed. "But you might hit your brother..." Mijima shifted where she stood and tried to get a good aim but couldn't. As she did Autoro raised his free arm and pointed his palm at her. White energy flared to life in front of his hand as Mijima tried to get her shot.

Gritting her teeth she decided the best option was to pull the trigger and hope for the best. Just as he let go with his energy blast she pulled the trigger to the gun. There was a loud bang followed by dual cries of pain. The energy blast had hit her head on and flung her back into the rocks nearly knocking her out. The bullet she'd fired had slammed into Autoro's shoulder shattering the bone and knocking him back and down. He'd also dropped Gainin who slumped to the ground nearly unconscious.

Neophia ran over to Mijima and knelt down beside her. She didn't look good at all. The front of her shirt had been completely destoyed by the energy blast and she was covered in blood. Her breathing was ragged and every breath made her flinch in pain. A couple ribs were poking out through her skin as well. "Damn... that hurts..." she managed.

"Fucking bitch!" Autoro roared as he climbed back to his feet, his hand on his injured shoulder, the arm hanging limply at his side. He started toward her but stopped as he felt a hand grab his ankle. Looking down he saw the badly injuried Gainin glaring up at him. "Die already!" he cried kicking him in the face and knocking him a few yards away. He then started toward Mijima again.

Neophia's eyes widened as she saw him coming. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look at the injured blonde girl, blood rolling down her chin now. "Go..." she breathed, wincing. "Get... out of... his way."

She stared at her for a moment and then saw the pistol laying on the ground beside her. She shook her head and picked it up. "No. You saved me twice, this... is the least I can do." she said before turning and aiming the gun at Autoro, her arms shaking wildly. "Stay... stay back!" she called swallowing. 

Autoro simply laughed at her. "You going to shoot me? Ha! You can barely even hold that thing!"

"That's far enough." a voice called from above. Everyone looked up and saw an old man standing on the edge of the highest rock looking down at them, long white hair hanging down his back. The man looked to his side as another came into view. "I see what you meant about these two. Yes, they could work nicely."

"Who the hell are you?" Autoro called up.

"My name is Dr. Gero." the old man said taking a step forward, off of the rock, and floating gently down to the ground. The other followed him and Autoro recognized him as the Tao guy from earlier in the month. Gero landed beside Mijima and knelt down pulling a small vial of blue liquid out of a pocket and popping the stopper off of it. "Here, drink this." he said putting it to her lips.

Mijima stared up at him in wonder but decided drinking whatever it was couldn't be any worse than slowly dying so she did. It tasted horrible and felt weird as it slid down her thoat but she felt an odd warmth and tingling spreading through her body. And then a sharp pain washed over her entire body for a second which made her scream. And then the pain was gone, all of it. And so was the tingling and warmth... and her injuries.

"What... the..." she wondered, looking down at her self. She was still covered in blood but her bones were inside her body once more.

Gero didn't answer, merely stood and walked over to where Gainin lay pulling another vial out. Kneeling down he offered it to him too and the boy drank it. A scream sounded from him as well a second later and then he was climbing to his feet, perfectly fine. "Who are you?" Gainin asked. "What..."

"As I said, I am Dr. Gero." he replied. "Tao noticed your auras when he first met you earlier and I agree with his thoughts. The two of you would be the perfect candidates for my Cyborg designs."

"Cyborg designs?" Mijima asked confused.

"Indeed. I am the new leader of the Red Ribbon Army. My specialty is robotics. You saw the power Tao has, no?" they both nodded. "Well, that is thanks to my cybernetics. I'm offering to you that same power. Well, truthfully, greater power."

Gainin smiled. "Sounds good but what's the catch?"

"Catch? Oh, there's no catch. I merely need strong fighters to help me defeat someone else who is highly powerful." he crossed his arms as he explained. "We will fight him, crush him, and then the Red Ribbon Army will rule this planet."

Mijima looked over to where Autoro still stood holding his arm and completely dumbfounded. "It certainly sounds better than staying here." she said after a moment. Gainin nodded.

Gero smiled. "Excellent. 13, 14, come here!" he called looking up at the cliff again. A moment later the two floated down into the canyon as well. "My Androids here will be carrying you back to my lab. So, shall we go?"

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Present, Lookout:

"Oh, how horrible." Bulma said as 18 finished her story.

The blonde Cyborg sighed. "My brother and I owe our lives to Gero really." she said. "We'd have died that day if not for him. But... death would have been better than what followed. The process that made me what I am now wasn't exactly pleasant..."

"What was the stuff he had you drink?" Gohan asked.

"He called his Synthetic Senzu Extract." she said. "He said one of his probes managed to steal one and he began to synthesize them." she shook her head. "My brother and I pretty much lived on that stuff during the experiments and operations. Brought us back from near death several hundred times. Because of that stuff he wasn't worried about if something backfired and caused more damage than good, he could fix it in a matter of seconds..."

"Oh... wow..." Goku said softly.

She nodded. "We saw you fighting Zarbon a few months later. Gero was going nuts re-working his designs and re-mapping his equations to graph your powers. He'd not anticipated the Kaio Ken and had to work that in. And then decided that he should acount for anything else that could make you stronger like that... If it hadn't been for that I think we'd all be probably three or four times weaker than we are."

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Capital City:

Cell walked into the room with Gero and the others, frowning some. He'd waited outside West City for a short while until he figured everyone had left and then had gone back to try and locate 17 to no avail. Now he was back with Gero and the others in hopes that they had some means of tracking the Cyborg. "I can't find 17 in the rubble that's left." he said looking toward Gero. "I searched and searched but no signs. I don't suppose you have a means of tracking him?"

"Yes." Gero replied. "But he is no longer functioning. Not dead, no, but unconscious. Which means his systems are in sleep mode. No transponder signal."

"This is not how things should be going." Cell hissed, tail lashing about behind him. "I've waited so long for this moment, only to have it squashed by that Namek..."

"Patience." Gero said, steepling his fingers. "They can't hide forever. Eventually they'll show up again, and then we can take them. And in time 17 will regain consciousness, we'll be able to track him then."

"Any chances for more suprises?" 13 asked.

"Perhaps." Cell replied. "That's why I don't like this."

"Shall we destroy the barrier?" asked 15. "At least with it gone our scanners might be able to find... something."

"They obviously weren't there to stop us from finding the off switch..." Gero said, thinking about the battles in West City. "Only to get the others out. Which means there probably is no switch here." He remained silent for a moment and then turned to 15. "Destroy it."

The small Android nodded and floated outside. Looking up he raised an arm, blue energy charging around his hand. And then it blasted off toward the barrier. A second later there was a flash from the barrier, then several more across the sky and the red light vanished replaced by black with blue like electricty sparking randomly, much like a silent lightning storm. "Scanners indicate a massive time-space anomaly." 15 announced after a moment. "No interference with systems detected but... at this strength the field will take many months to dissipate."

Gero nodded as he turned his eyes to Cell. With the field gone he was getting a clean reading on the creature's power and he had to admit, he was impressed. The creature was as powerful as Tao now, in this first form. It made him curious if it's power could compare to that of his greatest creation, in this time-line anyway. Well, he'd have to wait and see. 


	17. A New Vegeta

Chapter Seventeen - A New Vegeta

Everyone looked up as a ripple of light washed through the barrier, the generators all exploding along it's length. The eerie red sky was replaced by an even stranger black sky with blue lightning flashing about. "Oh... wow... that's cool." Videl said looking up at it. Somehow, despite the fact the sky was black save the lightning like energy, it was still as bright as it had been a moment before.

"Looks like something from a horror movie to me." Krillin said staring at it.

"It's a massive Space-time tear." Bulma told them. "They destroyed the barrier. That'll last for months though, so we're still ok."

"Hey!" Goku cheered. "I can sense powers again!" The others all nodded in agreement, they could as well. Goku moved over to the edge of the lookout and gazed down at the planet, his mind reaching out to see if he could find this Cell creature. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to sense it or not but there was only one way to find out. Suddenly a high power smashed into his senses and his eyes widened in shock. "No way!"

"What is it Goku?" Yamcha asked walking over to him.

"I... found a power in Capital City. It has to be that Cell creature!" Goku said. "It's power is... massive." he looked back at Piccolo. "Man, no wonder he couldn't beat you though... amazing Piccolo!" The Namek just grinned.

"Hmm, that Cell isn't as strong as he made himself seem." 18 said. The others looked at her curious. "My own scanners can measure his power and he's only as powerful as Tao."

"Exactly why we waited." Piccolo said. "That means we still have four Androids possibly stronger than me."

18 looked back at him for a moment and then spoke again. "Three. You're just a little stronger than 15." Piccolo nodded as 18 shook her head. "I can't believe how much power you gained... it's incredible... absurd really."

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May 10th:

It had been almost twenty-four hours now since the others had entered the Room of Spirit and Time. Those still on the outside had managed to get some sleep a few hours after the battle in West City and were now up again. Tien, Raditz, and Appla were doing some light sparring to pass the time, Piccolo, Videl, and Gohan were meditating, Bardock was talking to King Vegeta via his scouter, Goku and Chi-Chi were sitting at the edge of the Lookout with their feet hanging over the edge just watching the planet below them, Hercule, Bulma, and Yamcha were taking care of young Sakura and baby Trunks, and Krillin and 18 were sitting under the trees in the shade.

Goku stretched and flopped backward onto his back pulling Chi-Chi down with him. She cried in suprise at first but soon rested her head on Goku's chest and closed her eyes enjoying the warm breeze and the chance to just relax for a while. Goku, on the other hand, was looking curiously toward Krillin. "Hey, Chi-Chi..." he started. "Umm... Do you know why Krillin keeps staring at 18?" he asked, the confusion evident in his voice.

Chi-Chi smiled lightly. "Think on it for a while Goku, you'll figure it out."

Bardock pursed his lips. "So, the galaxy isn't in an all out panic yet at least. That's good to know."

"Indeed." came King Vegeta's voice through Bardock's scouter. "There was some minor worry when the transmission first came, but that soon faded since everyone knows all of you are there. The barrier showing up got some people talking too... it wasn't until Piccolo fought Cell that worry actually started to spread."

"So, the new planetary systems are that good?" Bardock asked suprised. "I didn't think they'd be able to read powers that high..."

King Vegeta chuckled lightly. "Me either, but the thing wasn't even trying and it kept up no problem. Really impressive designs on these ones." He sighed and his voice turned serious again. "How do you see our odds truthfully?"

Bardock sighed and rubbed his forhead. "I don't know. 18 says Piccolo's a little stronger than 15 but that's it. That leaves 3 Androids stronger than him plus the chance this Cell could get to 17 and transform..."

"Right. Wish I still had my tail... I could have handled these things." King Vegeta sighed. "No matter, keep me posted."

"Of course." As Bardock shut off his scouter he turned and saw Krillin starring at 18 who had her eyes closed resting. The Sai-jin smirked a little as he walked over to the short Human and took a seat beside him. "You know..." he began. "You could always trying talking to her."

"Huh?" he asked startled, he'd not noticed Bardock approach. 

The Sai-jin laughed and then nodded toward the Cyborg. "I've seen you starring at her since yesterday. Yamcha, Bulma, and Gohan noticed too. Hell, even Goku's noticed, not that he can make heads or tails of it."

"I.. it's not like that!" he cried. 

The near yell got the attenion of everyone else on the Lookout and Bardock would have sworn he saw 18 grin out of the corner of his eye. "Sure, sure... whatever you sa..." He stopped as four powers suddenly hit his senses. Four powers he'd not sensed in twenty-four hours. "They're back." he said climbing back to his feet. All attentions turned to the building behind them as the soft clicks of footsteps could be heard.

Goku slipped out from under Chi-Chi and moved over to join Bardock. A moment later the four of them came into view once more. Hotaru, Sakura, and Trunks looked the most different of the four, thanks to their now longer hair. Trunks' hair came down to just passed his shoulders, Hotaru's and Sakura's were a few inches longer as well. "How'd the training go?" Goku asked.

Vegeta smirked. "You'll see soon enough." he replied. Looking up he saw the new sky. "It's changed... they destroyed the barrier then?"

Goku nodded. "Ya. Things have changed since you went in. There's a new threat, a creature named Cell. You can sense him in Capital City."

The four of them looked off that direction and a moment later Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Weakling."

"He's still dangerous." Piccolo said. "Something about absorbing 17 and 18 to become Perfect."

"Ha. I can handle them, no problem." Vegeta said. He looked back at the others. "Even he could, despite the fact he's not quite as strong as me. Close enough though." His eyes moved over to Sakura and Hotaru. "Them, on the other hand..."

"He's right..." Hotaru said with a sigh. "Despite the last year of training and the leaps in power I've made I'm still not a match for them."

"You can at least keep those machines off of us while we deal with the others." Trunks said.

"Enough talk, let's go." Vegeta said. "And you stay back, I'm going to handle this."

"I'm coming as well." Piccolo said.

"You?" Vegeta snorted. "You're not even as stro..." he stopped as Piccolo's power flared a little. "What the hell?"

"Kami and Piccolo merged." Bardock explained. "Which also means the Earth's Dragonballs are gone. So don't get yourselves killed."

"Come on, it's our turn to train." Goku said. "We'll see you guys in a day." he said walking off, Gohan, Videl, and Bardock following him.

"There's no reason." Vegeta said looking over his shoulder. "By the time you get out they'll all be dead." Goku stopped and gave a grin back at Vegeta and then continued on to the Room of Spirit and Time. 

As they vanished inside the building Bulma remembered something. "Oh ya, here." she said, pulling a capsule out of her pocket and throwing it down. After the smoke cleared it revealed a medium sized storage unit. "King Vegeta sent me a supply of battle armors for everyone." she explained looking at the torn clothes of Vegeta and the others. 

Opening it up it revealed multiple armors of different varieties. There was the kind Vegeta had on now, the blue body suit, white boots and gloves, and white armor with brown straps and pads. There was the style Bardock typically wore, the black pants and armor with red wrist bands, black armor with white trim and green pads, and green and red boots. There was also the new formal designs that had grey body suits with red boots and gloves, and black armor with red trim and purple padding. And there was one armor that Bulma recognized distinctly as the one Vegeta had worn when he fought Cooler.

"Perfect, I could use a change of clothes." Vegeta said moving over to the unit and grabbing another blue body suit, boots, gloves, and armor.

"What about you three?" she asked looking over to them.

Trunks looked down at his torn clothes and nodded. "Sure." Sakura shrugged and moved over as well. Both of them took the same style as Vegeta, Hotaru soon following suit. Once they were all changed Vegeta turned and made his way to the edge of the Lookout. 

Sakura, Trunks, and Piccolo followed but Hotaru moved over to where the young Sakura still sat with Yamcha and Hercule. She knelt down and put a hand on her head. "You be good while I'm gone, ok?"

"Ok." she said with a nod.

"Don't worry, I'll look after her." Yamcha said. "You just be careful down there." Hotaru nodded and stood up and then joined the others. The five of them lifted into the air and then dove toward the planet and Capital City.

As they disappeared Bulma sighed. "Be careful Trunks... Vegeta."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Room of Spirit and Time:

Goku closed the door behind him as the others got a look around at their new surroundings. "Oh... wow..." Videl said in awe. "Look at this... there's... nothing there..."

"Hey, Goku, you said this is infinite, right?" Bardock asked looking over his shoulder.

Goku nodded as he walked up to the others. "Ya. It goes on forever in every direction. The gravity steadily gets higher and higher the further out you go, though it fluctuates a bit too."

"What if you get lost?" Videl asked looking up.

Goku shook his head. "Not possible. Somehow, no matter how far away you go, you can always see this room in the distance." he explained. "So there's no chance of getting lost or anything. Just be careful you don't go too far out or the gravity will squash you." He turned and pointed to the left side of the room. "There's the beds over there. And then, over here..." he pointed to the cabinets on the other side. "Is where all the food is."

"Well, let's get started." Bardock said stepping out into the white that spread out as far as the eye could see. The two kids followed him but Goku stood on the edge and crossed his arms in thought. "Goku, what is it?" Bardock asked looking back.

"I'm just wondering about a few things." he said. "First is about our strength. Even Gero noticed it when Vegeta transformed. His increase as a Super Sai-jin wasn't as great as mine. And I've noticed it about myself too. My increase isn't as great as it was on Namek..."

"Any ideas on why?"

Goku shook his head. "Not at the moment. Maybe... after some more training I'll notice something."

"So, what else are you wondering?"

Goku turned his eyes toward Videl before he answered. "If Super Sai-jin is a guy only thing. We'll need all the power we can get."

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Capital City:

Cell sat on the balcony, legs and arms crossed, head down and eyes closed. He'd been that way for the passed ten hours. He'd not moved, not blinked, not shifted or fidgeted or made a sound in all that time. Now, however, he raised his head and opened his eyes. "They come." he breathed. "Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, and two others."

Gero glanced over to him as the creature stood. Cell's senses reached further than his own scanners and so he had no way of confirming the matter himself. "You're certain?" he asked. Cell nodded in response. The scientist stood and joined his remaining allies. Tao, 13, 14, 15, and the ever silent 16. He was glad, at least, that he'd fixed the errors in 16's programming and had constructed 13 through 15. Tao, while being one of his works, was also merely a hired hand. 17 was missing, 19 was destroyed, and 18 a traitor. And here it was, only the second day of his rule.

"Well now, would you look at this." 15 said suddely. "It seems 17 has woken up as well, his transponder just came back on-line."

Cell grinned. "Where is he?"

"Still in West City it would seem."

Cell nodded. "Then that's where I shall go." he said turning.

"You'll need a way of tracking him." Tao said walking up beside Cell. "And I'm curious as to what your power will become." The creature nodded and the two of them blasted off from the balcony. Cell pushed his power low and dove down close to the ground, Tao following. They had to go the direction the others were coming from and he wanted to avoid an encounter with them for now.

"Let us head outside to meet our guests then." Gero said turning his attention back away from the departure and walking from his chair. The others fell in line behind him as he made his way through the palace. A moment later they had emerged into the front courtyard. The five Androids watched the sky for a moment, and then their sensors picked up the five rapidly nearing warriors. There was a flash of red, a flash of orange, a flash of dark puple, a flash of light purple, and a flash of green as the five of them pulled to a stop and landed across from the place on the rubble of a former building.

"So, your defeats yesterday haven't proven that you can't win I see." Gero said slowly. His eyes roamed over to Piccolo. "I must admit, the power you gained from merging with Kami once more is greater than I'd expected, but I hadn't known the full details. Still, you are no match for me."

"The Namek is of no concern to you anyway." Vegeta said stepping foward. "It is I who will fight, I who will destroy you all."

15 laughed and floated foward. "I'll handle this one." he said pulling his flask out of his coat and taking a drink. Slipping it back into his pocket he wiped his mouth and smirked. "Poor Vegeta, I see you've managed to increase your power but it wont be enough. I have the records of the increase your transformation yields and have already computed your power. You can't win."

There was a flash of gold as Vegeta transformed and then crossed his arms. "My power cannot be so easily measured, I assure you." he replied, smirking. "I have more than enough power to rip you apart, turn you into scrap metal."

The Android shook his head. "Sorry Vegeta, you may be as strong as me now, I'm rather impressed you improved so much in one day, but you still can't win this. I'm not the strongest of us, and of course, though you are stronger, I never get weaker and you do. Infinite energy, you know."

Vegeta's smirk grew as he uncrossed his arms. "Oh, but I'm not finished yet... but before I start I'll let you in on something else. My son back there is almost as strong as me." He was silent for a moment as the other four with him moved aside. Piccolo kept his eyes on 14, Sakura kept hers on 16, Trunks watched 13 and Gero, and Hotaru kept her eyes open for any of the drones in the area to make a move. 15 just smirked at him. "Oh, smirk all you want, but it's not going to help you... I'll wipe that grin right off your face!"

He brought his arms up suddenly, fists clenching, and bent over letting out a loud yell. The road and sidewalk under and around him started cracking as his aura flared up and dust began to blow out and then swirl up around him like a tornado. Piccolo's eyes widened in shock as he felt the Sai-jin's ki pulse and grow rapidly. Vegeta's muscles began expanding and the glow of his aura grew bright until he was like a sun on the city streets. The ground shattered and the rocks lifted into the air. There was a crack and flash and a wave of power washed out from the Prince nearly toppling those with him and pushing 15 back a few feet, much to the Android's shock.

His aura subsided returning to normal as Vegeta relaxed, panting slightly to catch his breath. The Sai-jin Prince's power had swelled up and with it so had he. His arms and legs were now twice as thick as before, his hair had even grown further and spiked out more. Straightening up Vegeta's smirk returned again. "Now you bare witness to the greatest power in the universe! I, Vegeta, the Prince of all Sai-jins, have done what no other has ever achieved! I have gone beyond the power of Super Sai-jin! You fight now a new Vegeta, a changed Vegeta, a stronger Vegeta, an unbeatable Vegeta, a Super Vegeta! Now, you piece of junk, let's go!" he roared launching in at the small Android.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Planet Vegeta, the Palace:

King Vegeta nodded as the soldiers finished setting up the last of the equipment in the throne room. He'd sent some probes to Earth the month before and they were currently in orbit around the planet now. State of the art monitoring equipment. Scouters, scanners, and cameras. All top of the line. He wanted to monitor things as closely as possible. His senses had improved... after that Cooler fiasco he'd learned to sense Ki but at such a distance it took an effort. This way he could watch what happened with his own eyes.

He'd just finished speaking with Bardock when the techs and soldiers had arrived with the monitoring equipment. The satellites were in orbit and on-line, he could finally see things for himself. He'd worried that, perhaps, the energy field or time-space bubble would interfere with his attempts to monitor things. However, that wasn't the case. While the sky looked odd from on Earth, by Bardock's description the previous day, you could see down no problem. A similar effect as the interference from before. You could sense those on Earth, and sense those off world even through the barrier, you just could sense from inside.

Apparently with it gone the interference was as well. But those on world couldn't see passed the space-time tears. It was... an interesting matter. Bulma had spoken with him about it a few hours ago. Something to do with light refraction, space density, and temporal flux. He didn't really understand it and didn't really care. So long as he could monitor things he was happy.

"So, it's ready then?" Vadora asked walking into the room. She'd taken up a post in the palace shortly after Cooler's attack as one of the King's Special Ops. She wasn't as powerful as the other Special Ops, at least not without the Kaio Ken. She wasn't overly skilled with that though, anything more than times five still felt like it was going to rip her in half. But she also had the ability to create false moons which made her one of the more valued members, even among the Super Elites in the Special Ops ranks.

King Vegeta turned his head and nodded. "Yes, it's almost set-up. Where's Pug?"

"Still tending to the network." she replied. "He wants to be ready to broadcast galaxy wide as soon as possible."

"Not sure when we'll need that though. So far things on Earth haven't been going so well. It's astounding... these Androids are so much more powerful than anything I'd imagined, and this new creature, Cell..."

"A power of fifty million is mind boggling, I know." Vadora said nodding. "Piccolo's power's even more incredible... I can still remember when he didn't even break a thousand..." She stopped as the monitors flared to life showing Earth from several angles. The satellites zoomed in as the ground based hover cam units linked up with them and activated. It only took a moment for the satellites to lock onto a set of powers they considered notable and then Vegeta, Trunks, Sakura, Hotaru, and Piccolo came into view.

"Hmm, that boy with the purple hair..." Vadora said slowly. "Definitely Trunks." The King nodded in agreement. Bulma had still been on world when Trunks had been born and the purple hair was unmistakable. "That other girl, with Hotaru, that must be Sakura..." She turned her eyes to the power read-outs but they were fairly low, it was obvious they weren't powered up fully.

King Vegeta glanced over at Vadora again and from this angle, now that she was watching the monitors, the difference in her appearance was quite obvious. Even moreso thanks to the fact she was, as she had been for the last few months, in civilian clothes instead of her formal armor. "How'd the check-up go anyway? Didn't you have one this morning?"

She nodded. "Everything's going fine." she replied. "Shouldn't be much longer either. Can't wait until my clothes fit again..."

"You and Tien decide on a name yet?"

"Cheri." 


	18. A Power Beyond Super Saijin

Chapter Eighteen - A Power Beyond Super Sai-jin

"Settled on a Sai-jin name then?" the King asked.

"Tien didn't really have a preference one way or the other." Vadora replied. "He's not really picky about much."

King Vegeta laughed. "With you as his mate that's probably a blessing." Vadora gave the King a sideways glare but didn't have a chance to say anything before the scouter systems started to beep. Looking toward the monitors again they found Vegeta now in Super Sai-jin and talking with the Android. The power reading had just stablized from his transformation when he suddenly hunched over and the readings started climbing again.

"No way..." Vadora breathed in shock as Vegeta's power climbed higher and higher. "Unreal." And then the battle began.

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Earth, The Lookout:

Those fighters still standing atop the Lookout were at the edge gazing down. "Unreal!" Tien cried as golden light flared off over the horizon. "Vegeta's power..."

Krillin nodded. "Amazing..."

"We may just win this after all..." said Yamcha.

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Capital City:

15's eyes widened as Vegeta charged at him, his sensors still trying to process the sudden burst of power that had come from him. It had only just caught up to his previous power before he'd started powering up again. Before the numbers settled Vegeta reached him and smashed his fist into the small Android's face. The impact shattered his glasses and sent him sailing back and into the palace building.

The Sai-jin didn't give the purple machine time to recover and fired a blast of golden energy after him. Piccolo and the others turned and raised their arms to shield themselves as the energy exploded taking the entire palace with it and showering debris through the city. Vegeta lowered his arm smirking and turned to face Gero and the other remaining Androids. "One down, five to go. Alright, who's next!"

Suddenly blue light began seeping up through the rubble of the palace and then exploded. 15 shot up into the air, his clothes torn and shredded. He was about to charge in again when Gero raised his arm bringing the machine to a hault. "I'll handle this 15." he said lowering his arm. "So, Vegeta, you've powered up quite a bit. I'm interested in how you gained so much power so fast..."

Vegeta smirked. "I'm a Sai-jin." he said with a shrug. "Now, let's get this over with. The sooner I turn you into scrap, the sooner I can get my fight with Kakkarotto."

"You still don't get it, do you Vegeta? You can't beat us. I will admit, I'm greatly impressed by your power, it exceeds even my own. However, as has been stated before, we have limitless energy. I can fight forever, you, however, can not."

"I wont have to." the Sai-jin replied. "You'll be lucky to last ten minutes."

"Very well, let's begin." Gero said slipping into a fighting stance. His opponent did the same, the grin on his face growing. The two stood there for a moment and then vanished. Suddenly the sky was alight with flashes of gold as thunderous cracks rang out shaking the ground below.

"That's incredible..." Piccolo breathed looking up. He could barely see more than streaks darting trough the sky, Vegeta was easier to follow thanks to his aura and Ki. The two warriors arced through the sky over the city making their attacks as they passed, sometimes zipping right by each other and other times locking into a close range battle for a few moments before breaking apart again.

The two warriors neared each other again and Vegeta pulled to the right and spun around dodging a punch from Gero and then slamming his foot into the Android's back. They arced through the air again and as they neared each other the Android launched a blast of energy from his eyes. The Sai-jin Prince dodged around it at the last second and then thrust his right arm forward firing his own blast of golden energy which Gero simply deflected away.

However, that distracted the Android long enough for Vegeta to get above him and drive his knee into his back. The white haired Android was knocked down into the ground and the Sai-jin grinned. "You're better than I expected." he called down. "You can almost match me... almost. But almost isn't good enough. Time to end this, it's boring." He raised one arm and pointed it down toward where Gero lay, golden energy spakring to life in front of his palm.

"Good bye, Android. Big Bang... Attack!" The ball of golden energy suddenly doubled in size and then rocketed toward the downed Android. However, before it could reach the ground, the other Androids shot into the air between Gero and the blast. Together they caught it but the energy drove them down toward the ground until Gero shot up and joined them. Vegeta growled as they repelled the blast.

"So then, you all want to fight, do you?" he asked. "Fine, I'll take all five of you at once!"

"Father!" Trunks yelled. "You can't..."

"Shut-up!" Vegeta called looking back and down at where Trunks stood. "I can handle them all at once, no problem!"

"I recommend a new tactic." 16 said slowly as he lowered his arms.

"Agreed." 13 replied scowling. "This is becoming annoying. Gero?"

The white haired Android floated there for a moment and then landed. "Permission granted."

15 smirked. "Alright, it's show time. Accessing mer... What is that?"

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West City:

Cell landed atop the tallest building he could find and gazed about him. He had no way of actually tracking 17, however his companion did. "So, where is he?" he asked looking over to Tao.

"Stationary, under the rubble over there it would seem." Tao replied pointing to a destroyed building a few blocks away. "He doesn't seem to be moving at all."

"Could he be damaged?"

"Everything is reading out fine." Tao replied. "Perhaps he's sulking? He was beaten by his sister yesterday."

"No matter. He'll be mine soon." Cell said lifting into the air and floating over to the rubble, Tao following close behind. Landing he pointed a palm down at the debris and a gold glow formed around his hand and then a beam of energy surged down through the rock. It only took a moment to carve out an opening and then the two of them were descending into the the darkness.

"Who's there?" 17 demanded, holding a hand up and charging some Ki to make a light. "Tao? And what the hell is that?"

"I am Cell." the creature said taking a step forward. "And you will soon be a part of me." 

17's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about? What is this?"

Cell merely smirked and licked his lips. "At last... it is time to begin my ascension!" he cried as he launched toward 17. The Cyborg was too shocked to block or dodge and Cell slammed his fist into his stomach. 17 crumpled to the floor and Cell picked him up. His tail came up and the tip openned. "And now you become part of perfection!"

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The Lookout:

"17!" 18 cried suddenly, turning to look to her left a little. Her cry got the attentions of the others as well.

"What is it?" Krillin asked.

"That Cell creature... he's in West City, his power just flared up right on top of 17's transponder!"

Yamcha gulped. "That can't be good..."

"I've got to go help him..."

"Not a good idea." Bulma said walking up beside 18. "You'll just put yourself in danger too."

"I-it f-feels like it's t-too late anyw-way!" Krillin cried wide eyed. Everyone's attention had turned to West City where golden light was seeping up from under the rubble of a building. A second later Tao had flown up out of the rubble and was high in the sky looking down and watching. Everyone on the Lookout could feel the swelling power and then there was a bright flash that engulfed several blocks. When the glare faded away it revealed a crater and standing in the crater was a much different Cell.

"Oh man... his power..." Yamcha stammered.

"Could be worse." Raditz said with a frown. "He's about as powerful as Prince Vegeta..."

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Capital City:

"Ah, Cell must have located 17." Gero said with a grin. "Impressive."

Vegeta just snorted. "I'll deal with that once I'm finished here. Now, let's get back to our fight!"

Gero nodded. "Yes, let's. 15, if you would."

15 smirked. "Right. Accessing Merger Protocol now."

"Accessing Merger Protocol." 16 echoed. 14 repeated the line and then 13 as well. Trunks and Sakura glanced at each other not sure what was happening, this wasn't something they'd seen before.

Suddenly glowing lines traced across 14 and 16 and the two Androids broke apart into dozen's of pieces. 13 floated forward between the two of them as 15 floated back. The small purple Android started to glow and then energy shot out from it connecting to the orbiting pieces of 14 and 16. A glow then formed around 13 hiding him from view and he floated forward, the glow around him engulfing 15 as well.

And then the energy attached to the pieces pulled in bringing all four together. There was a crack and a bright flash as energy flared up and swirled around. Inside the blue ball of energy a shadow formed growing and changing. And then the glow shrank away revealing a red haired and blue skinned Android. "Super 13 is now online." it said in a deep voice as it opened it's solid yellow eyes.

"Bah, you're still nothing but scrap metal!" Vegeta growled. "Time for me to rip you apart!" His aura flashed brightly and he surged in at the newly transformed Android. The Sai-jin pulled back his arm as he flew and then with a cry launched a punch for the large Android's chest. There was a loud crack as the blow impacted, stopping Vegeta's arm dead in it's tracks and not budging the Android an inch.

"What the...?" the Prince muttered, eyes widening slightly. With a growl he started pounding on the Android with everything he had. Every blow did nothing. The Android just stared down at him unmoving and uncaring of his attack. After a moment Vegeta shot backwards and thrust his arms out, blue energy sparking around his palms and then a volley of blasts surged toward Super 13. The blue Android still didn't bother to move, the energy impacting and exploding without even scratching him.

"This isn't good." Piccolo growled.

Sakura took a step forward but stopped when she felt Trunks grab her shoulder. Looking back she saw the look in his eyes but shook her head. "We have to stop that thing."

"Just wait, let father handle it." he said. "You don't even know if you could do anything."

"Bonm ix Trunks, xhic icm'x xhe xine xu de ftowimp 'fruxekx loxher'c epu'. I jmuy wuv kore oduvx hin dvx yimmimp ic nure infurxomx xhom drvcimp hic epu!" Sakura cried angrily in Tanarian.

Trunks stood in silence for a moment before replying softly. "I'm staying back for now... but go ahead." As he spoke Piccolo glanced toward them. He'd heard Sakura but he didn't know Tanarian.

Sakura turned back toward were Vegeta still stood, hands clenched into fists and a very unhappy look on his face. Trunks' hand slipped off her shoulder as she walked slowly forward, her movement catching the attentions of Gero and Super 13 first. Vegeta didn't notice her until she was beside him and walking on. The Sai-jin watched after her with a frown.

Finally she came to a stop a couple dozen yards from the Android. "Now it's my turn." she said softly. "I will not allow this world to face the same fate as my own. I will not allow you to take millions of innocent lives." Her eyes began to glow blue and her red aura flared to life around her as she spoke, blowing her hair about wildly. "I will destroy you!"

Suddenly her aura flared up into a column looking almost like fire. Orange sparks began to float up along it as the entire thing shifted to orange. And then the collumn of energy shattered apart like a tower of glass, sparks of energy falling to the ground. With the collumn gone, it revealed Sakura in her Super Tanarian form as she had been against Frieza. Except she was stronger than she had been then. Not exceptionally stronger, but stronger. 

Still Piccolo didn't think she'd even be a distraction to the newly merged Android. Hotaru felt the same as Sakura stood in silence for a moment and then lifted a few feet into the air. The only person present who knew what she was about to do was Trunks. He smiled as he felt a hand on his arm. "Don't worry Hotaru, she knows what she's doing. Just watch."

Sakura's solid blue eyes began to glow and then her orange aura swirled up around her encasing her in a ball of energy. A spark of red surged around the ball, and then another, as a loud cry began to sound from within. A rush of wind washed out stirring up dust and then the ground began to shake. Once more Sakura's power was climbing higher and higher.

Suddenly she let out a loud cry and the ball of energy exploded, shattering like the collumn earlier. As the falling, sparkling energy faded away it showed a new Sakura, changed. Her arms now bore the same orange stripes as those under her eyes and two more had appeared on her face, above her eyes. Her eyes were now a solid purple in color and her hair was no longer tinted blue, it was blue. Red lightning-like energy crackled about her aura now and then as well. She lowered her arms to her side and uncurled her legs. She let out a sigh and then smiled.

"No... way..." Hotaru breathed, eyes wide. "She's... she's unlocked the second transformation..."

Sakura floated back down to the ground, her feet clicking gently on the pavement as she landed. "You think you can fight me?" Super 13 asked. "Your power is impressive, as many have done lately it has exceeded expectations. However, it is still nothing compared to me."

"We'll see about that... Nibai Kinryoku!" she cried. Instantly her orange aura vanished into silver, her arms bulging slightly from the surge of power. Red lightning still flickered occasionally around her as she surged in at the Android leaving a trail of dust and silver light in her wake. With a cry, she pulled back her fist and then launched a fierce punch at 13's face.

The Android's eyes widened as the fist neared. And then, with a thunderous crack, it slammed square into his face pushing the machine back a few feet. Without giving it a second to recover, she moved in again and spun smashing her foot into the side of his head causing him to stumble. Sakura narrowed her eyes, she was doing better than Vegeta but the machine was still a good bit stronger than her, enough to make this one on one battle more than a little difficult.

Vegeta stared on wide-eyed and mouth hanging open as Sakura resumed her assault. Each blow she landed sounded like thunder. And each blow moved the large Android, if only a little. It was more than he could manage. /How... how can this be? I am a Sai-jin! Not just a Sai-jin, a Super Sai-jin! So how... how could this girl surpass me? I've pushed the powers of Super Sai-jin to their maximum, I've gone beyond all other Sai-jins before me, and yet this girl, this Tanarian, is stronger than I/ 


	19. Defenders of the Future

Chapter Nineteen - Defenders of the Future

Sakura launched another kick for Super 13's head but this time the Android brought its arm up and blocked. Its yellow eyes flashed as its other arm shot out, its fist connecting with her stomach. Her eyes snapped wide in pain as she was sent sailing backward. She forced the pain out of her mind and pulled to a stop shooting in at the Android again. Quickly she dodged to the right around another punch and then slammed her open palms into his chest.

There was a flash of red as she fired a pair of point blank energy blasts and sent the large machine back a few feet. Before it had even stopped moving Sakura shot in again and slammed a knee into its face knocking the Android onto its back. As it fell over she shot into the air, flame like energy gathering into her palms as she flew higher. Everyone watched her go up higher and higher, all of them shocked at her power. Even Trunks hadn't been sure how much stronger she'd gotten. He'd known her all his life and had never seen her improve so much. Still, he was worried it might not be enough.

Super 13 started climbing back to his feet as Sakura came to a stop high above, twin balls of red energy in her hands. As the Android looked up at her she glared back down at it. "Time to turn you into dust! Burning... Flash... Attack!" she cried thrusting her arms down. The twin balls of Ki merged, swelled, and then a wave of swirling red energy surged down toward the Android bathing everything in a bright red.

The Android let out a cry and thrust its arms up. There was a flash of red from its palms and then a stream of red energy surged up from it toward Sakura's attack. The two slammed into each other a few feet above the ground in a thunderous crash, the shockwave washing out and knocking everyone else over. The two beams held in stalemate for a moment and then the Android's blast started pushing Sakura's back.

The powerful warrior let out a cry as she pushed more power into her attack. It swelled in size but the Android's beam still pushed hers back at an increasing rate. Realizing she couldn't win the struggle, she ended her attack and crossed her arms a second before impact. There was a resounding explosion and she was flung up even higher into the air.

"Sakura!" Trunks cried as he shot up into the air. He reached her a second later and caught her, stopping her ascent. She shook her head and opened her eyes again as she came back to consciousness. "You okay?"

She nodded as she moved out of his arms. "Yes, I'm good. Look, Trunks..."

"I know." he said, his eyes turning from her to his father. "Sorry father..." he said gently. Sakura nodded as she moved away from him. "This ends now!" he called down loudly as he transformed into Super Sai-jin. Suddenly he hunched over and let out a loud cry, his aura flaring up and swirling madly around him. The clouds above him were blasted apart by the rush of energy as his muscles started to ripple and expand.

His hair stood up straighter, his aura grew thicker and brighter, and his muscles pulsed and bulged as his power climbed higher and higher. It didn't take long for Trunks' power to match that of Vegeta's and keep going up. "No way!" Piccolo cried taking a step back. Vegeta glanced back at the Namek and then looked up at his son again. He shared the other's sentiment. He couldn't figure out how these two had surpassed him without his noticing.

/Because you ignored your son and his girlfriend, that's why./ He thought with a scowl. /You had a year to get to know him and you didn't even bother to follow his training, to see what progress he was making./ Vegeta sighed as his muscles shrank and his hair turned black once more. "His power is amazing..." he breathed, then he smirked. "But then, he is my son."

Trunks' cries came to a sudden halt as he threw his head back, his aura stabilizing and the expansion of his muscles coming to a hault. He let out a long sigh and then looked over to Sakura. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Just watch yourself, you're strong but don't forget the speed loss."

"I know."

"Then let's do this, Delta 32."

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Room of Spirit and Time:

Goku and Bardock stood off to the side watching Gohan and Videl sparring. Gohan wasn't really having much of a challenge, he and Bardock were closer in power than him and Videl. But he was the best opponent for her, the closest to her level of power. Suddenly Gohan shot up into the air dodging a blast of energy from her and he cupped his hands at his side. By the time she looked up she had a Kamehameha heading right for her.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear for a second but then a determined look came over her face. The two elder Sai-jins glanced at each other and smiled. They'd seen more and more of that look on her face lately, and on Gohan's too. They watched as Videl quickly fired off her own Kamehameha to counter Gohan's and the two children locked into a power struggle. The girl was putting everything she had into her attack but wasn't able to repel Gohan's which was still slowly pushing its way toward her.

"Come on Videl, you can do it!" Bardock called out. "Focus, put all of your power into it, push him back!"

/I'm trying/ her mind cried as she gritted her teeth. /Come on Videl, everyone's counting on you to help out./ "I wont lose!" she yelled up. Suddenly her Kamehameha swelled in size as more power surged up it. Gohan's eyes widened as did those of his father and grandfather. Videl's attack was now pushing back against Gohan's.

"Sorry Videl!" Gohan called down playfully a moment later. "But you can't beat me!" Gohan pushed more power into his attack and he began pushing back Videl's Kamehameha again.

Videl tried pushing more into her attack but couldn't find any more energy. As she realized there was nothing she could do to stop the attack she felt hopeless, like she didn't belong there. /I should have just let someone else come in with them, all I'm going to do is slow them down./ she thought, closing her eyes. As she did the power to her attack started to fade and Gohan's picked up speed.

"Come on Videl!" Gohan called down "Don't give up!"

She opened her eyes again. "What's the use?" she called up, though she didn't end her attack just yet.

"You have to get stronger too, we need your help."

"No you don't. I'm just slowing you guys down."

"Nonsense!" Bardock called out to her. "If it wasn't for you, Gohan would have been killed fighting against Sanil. We need all the power we can get against these Androids."

Videl closed her eyes once more as the energy in her attack faded some more. "I'll never be any help..."

"Videl... you have to try." Goku said. "Any amount of help is help. The stronger you are the better you can protect everyone, protect your father."

/Dad.../ she thought, picturing him. /Goku's right! I have to get stronger so I can protect dad/ The determined look on her face returned again and her attack started to push back against Gohan's again. However, the stalemate returned again a moment later as Gohan pushed more power into his again and then started pushing hers back. /No! I have to get stronger/

Goku's eyes snapped wide in shock and he uncrossed his arms as Videl let out a yell and forced even more power into her attack, more power than he thought she'd had, her light purple aura flaring up around her. "Wow... she must be like Gohan after all."

Bardock nodded. "Ya, she does seem to have hidden reserves after all. I was starting to think that was a Gohan-only th..." Bardock stopped as he realized Videl's power was still going up in small bursts, dropping, and then going back up. He recognized that kind of power flux. "Wait... that's not reserves..."

Goku glanced over to him but before he could say anything a golden glow caught his attention and he turned back to the kids. The glow was coming from Videl, her aura had shifted to gold and her hair was waving about wildly. Up in the sky Gohan shared the shocked look of the two onlookers. And then Videl let out a loud cry pushing her arms out straighter. There was a flash of gold and her attack flared out to massive size completely overtaking Gohan.

Videl lowered her arms panting and then her eyes widened in shock as she realized what had just happened. "Oh no, Gohan!" she cried flying over to him.

Bardock and Goku glanced at each other. Neither had expected her to transform afer only a month of training. Goku had also noticed something else, Videl's increase in power was greater than his, Bardock's, or Gohan's. It was as great as he'd had on Namek. "Videl, Gohan, come back!" Goku called out.

Videl looked over from where she and Gohan stood talking and then flew over with Gohan right behind her. As she landed she reverted back to normal. "Did you see that!" Gohan asked landing beside her. "She transformed!"

Goku nodded. "Ya, I saw. And... it made me think of something."

"What is it Goku?" Bardock asked.

"Her transformation is more powerful than ours." he said. "I don't know about you two but... mine used to be greater as well. I've been wondering what could have caused that and I think I know. We've been focused completely on physical training for the last three years. Master Roshi and Kami both told me, back when I trained under them, that a true martial artist needs to train everything, that they're only at their best when they're balanced."

Bardock nodded understanding where Goku was going with that. "You're saying that because we're not balancing our training our transformation isn't as strong as it could be?"

Goku nodded. "That's what I'm thinking. I've actually been feeling more of a strain when in Super Sai-jin lately than I had before."

"It's worth a try." Bardock said. "And I think I know a way to work on it. We'll stay in Super Sai-jin permanently, adjust to the feel of it that way, and it'll help us tell what needs working on."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Capital City:

Trunks and Sakura surged down toward the Android as fast as they could move. As they drew closer to the machine, Sakura suddenly changed direction heading off to the right. 13 watched her for a moment and then turned his attention back to the still nearing Trunks. The time-traveller was was still a few yards away when he came to a sudden halt. 13 realized then that he'd lost track of Sakura and started to turn to find her.

However, her foot found him first, slamming squarely into the machine's back and knocking him forward and into Trunks' waiting fist. Sakura moved to the left quickly just barely avoiding the flying Android as it was knocked several blocks down the street. She gave Trunks a glance, both nodded, and then they were surging down the road again. "Alpha 47!" Trunks yelled as he made a sharp turn and surged up into the sky.

There was a flash of silver from around Sakura, her aura growing thicker and brighter, as she poured on more speed. The street beneath her cracked and exploded behind her as she flew, the shockwave flipping the cars along the street onto their sides. 13 opened his eyes and saw her coming at the last second. Her foot passed through thin air as the machine dodged. She spun around quickly so her back was to the ground and brought her right arm up catching the incoming punch with her forearm.

She thrust her other arm up slamming her open palm against his chest and then hitting him with a Ki blast knocking him into the air. "Clear!" Sakura called shooting off down the road again. 13 scowled after her as he pulled to a stop. The Android was about to give chase when golden light flooded the area. He spun around and looked up, his eyes widening in shock. Trunks had his arms held above his head, a huge golden ball of Ki forming.

"Finish Buster!" he cried thrusting his arms down. The Android shoved his own arms out catching the energy as it reached him. He strained against it for a moment and then pushed it off into the sky again.

"Nice try." 13 said. "But you can't beat me."

"Delta 12!" Sakura called charging in toward 13 again. There was a flash of gold from the sky as Trunks surged back down as well.

Piccolo blinked as he watched the fight as best he could. "It seems like these two have attack plans memorized." he said grinning a little. "They can call out a plan and then both of them work together seamlessly."

Hotaru nodded. "It's probably how they've managed to stay alive so long with the dangers of their time."

The two warriors from the future reached 13 at the same time and launched kicks for his head. There was a loud crack as the Android's head was slammed between their feet. The two then pulled back, spun, and smashed their feet into him again. Sakura kicked him in the chest and Trunks nailed him in the back. The two went to attack again but the Android suddenly thrust its arms out to the sides and sent a shockwave of energy out knocking them away.

Sakura pulled to a stop just in time for 13 to slam his knee into her stomach. Her eyes snapped wide in pain but before she could do anything a fist smashed into her face knocking her away. Trunks dropped down quickly appearing behind her and caught her before she hit anything. "He's still stronger than me." he said letting her go. "And here we'd been thinking Gero was the worst of our problems."

Sakura nodded. "Ideas?"

"Not at the moment." he replied with a shake of the head. "If we go in together... maybe we can overpower him."

"Right. Beta 58?"

"Sounds good." Once more the two sped off quickly, this time each going in opposite directions. Sakura to the right and Trunks to the left. As they flew they turned flying on an arcing path for 13. Still a few dozen yards away they suddenly shot straight up into the air. 13 watched them frowning as they reached a height of several hundred feet and then started back down again. Suddenly they both had their hands in front of their faces, fingers spread. And then twin calls came from them. "Solar Flare!"

Everyone turned shielding their eyes from the glare. Before it had even begun to die a series of loud cracks sounded. The battle was back on again. It took a moment for the glare to die and then they saw the three fighters floating a few dozen feet above the ground moving rapidly, arms and legs swinging wildly. Working together Trunks and Sakura were more than Super 13 could handle. While he was stronger and faster than both by a significant amount, the two-on-one scenario was balancing it out.

The four Z Fighters and one Android on the ground watched the battle going above them intently. But Piccolo's mind wasn't just on the fight in the sky. He was also following Cell's energy. It had started back toward Capital City shortly before Sakura had taken Vegeta's place in battle. Then it had stopped as the girl powered up, and had remained stopped since. At first Piccolo figured the creature was adjusting his plans now that he was outmatched, even having absorbed 17.

However, shortly after Trunks powered up he'd resumed his movement again, following the same course as before. Cell was flying right toward them but at a leisurely pace. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, didn't seem to be worried. And that had Piccolo uneasy. The Namek frowned as he felt Cell stop again. "What is he up to?" he muttered.

"Piccolo?" Hotaru asked.

"Cell. He was on his way back but just stopped again." he explained, his eyes roaming over to Gero. "I don't know what's going on... he's up to something."

"He's scared." Vegeta said dismissively. "Why shouldn't he be? Only you two are weaker than him."

Piccolo looked over to Vegeta and shook his head. He wasn't so sure Vegeta was right. Cell wasn't moving in a nervous or worried way. He seemed... relaxed. That wasn't the way an outmatched person would feel. "I hope you're right." he said after a moment.

Up in the sky the two fighters from the future slammed their feet into Super 13 and knocked him down into the street. "We need to destroy this thing, fast." Sakura said panting lightly. "I'm tiring out but he's got infinite energy."

Trunks nodded. "Ya, I'm starting to feel the wear too. What do you say, Omega 6?"

Sakura smirked. "Sayanora Super 13." 


	20. The Turning Tides of War

Chapter Twenty - The Turning Tides of War

"Wow... this is amazing!" Krillin cried wide-eyed. "First Sakura and now Trunks!"

Yamcha nodded. "And I'd thought Vegeta had gotten powerful."

"Hey, wait a second..." Raditz said slowly as Sakura raised her arm and started gathering energy. "That looks almost like the Spirit Bomb..."

"Almost." Appla said with nod. "But it's not quite the same..."

18 remained silent as she stared down at the planet. These powers were far beyond anything she'd dreamed possible. But her mind wasn't really on the fight in Capital City. She was focused more on Cell and Tao. She was tracking Cell's power and Tao's tracker, neither was going in the same direction. They had been, up until Sakura's power up. 

Once Trunks followed suit they'd started moving again, in different directions. Cell was still on his way to Capital City but Tao had turned to a north east heading, on a direct course for Gero's lab. She wasn't sure what he was up to but he was moving at top speed while Cell was taking his time. And then she had a thought. One that she didn't like.

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Capital City:

Sakura dropped to the ground quickly, her feet smashed into the concrete and held. She raised her right arm pointing her palm up into the sky and closed her eyes. Blue and green energy sparkled in the air around her and drifted up from the ground gathering above her palm. Meanwhile Trunks lifted higher into the sky until he was about fifty feet above her. He cast a glance down at where she was first and then turned his attention back to Super 13. The Android was just getting back to its feet.

He knew he'd need to hold the machine off for a while to give Sakura time to gather the energy. He pulled his arms back and gathered energy into his hands quickly. With a cry his arms started pumping back and forth, a volley of Ki blasts surging for the large blue Android. The machine brought his arms up to block as the blasts impacted and exploded. Piccolo and the others turned away bringing their arms up to shield their eyes from the blinding explosions and flying dust and debris.

Suddenly the energy barrage came to a halt as Super 13 smashed his fist into Trunks' stomach having charged up through the attack. He then slipped around behind him and smashed his fist into his back driving the powerful Sai-jin into the ground. Trunks thrust his arms down and pushed himself up into the air backflipping and spinning around as he did. He moved just in time, a second later 13's foot had slammed into the ground where he'd been.

Trunks launched a hard right at the Android's head but it dodged around it and then fired off a kick of its own for his head. There was a loud crack as Trunks blocked the kick with his arm. He then slammed his knee into the blue machine's chest, jumped into the air, and smashed a roundhouse into the side of his head knocking him through several buildings and down several blocks.

In a flash of gold he shot after the Android. The two met again a second later and became nothing but blurs as they attacked, dodged, and blocked while slowly lifting into the air. A loud crack came a moment later as their fists smashed into each other's faces at the same time knocking them apart. "Give up already." 13 growled.

"Not a chance." Trunks replied panting heavily. "I came back in time to save this world, to prevent the horrible future I came from, at least in this time-line. And to find a way to save my time too. I wont give up until you're destroyed."

"Then you'll simply die because I cannot be destroyed." the machine responded. "You already grow tired, weaker, I do not. I could fight forever and never tire."

Trunks shook his head. "I already know that. But you can still be destroyed. A strong enough attack will wipe you out." He tilted his head back and looked up at the odd sky overhead. "I didn't think things would be this hard. I never dreamed that even Gero was as strong as he is, or that you even existed. But look at that, that sky is a testament to the fact that we can change things.

"With that sky you are trapped here, on Earth. Even if we fall now, which we wont, you couldn't spread beyond this world. You can't leave the Earth, can't attack any other worlds. In that way we've already won."

"It will fade."

"And be restored." Trunks said. "My grandfather is capable of keeping this planet sealed off for a decade at least. And if it comes to it..."

Super 13 scowled. "Too bad you wont live to see it." The Android thrust it's arms out and a red ball of energy started to gather in front of his palms.

Gero turned his attention from the fight in the sky to look for some sign of Sakura. He found it odd that she'd not been involved in the battle recently. And then he saw her, arm held high, a blue-green ball of Ki pulsing over her head. "13, the girl!" he called up quickly as his scanners started gauging the attack strength.

/Damn/ Sakura cried mentally. /I need more time.../ She opened her eyes and looked up to where Trunks was. -Trunks, keep him back a bit longer, it's not ready! I still need at least ten minutes!-

-Right.- Trunks said mentally, with a nod.

As the Sai-jin charged in at the distracted Android, Hotaru raised an eyebrow. She'd caught the faint glow to Sakura's eyes after Gero warned the other of her attack. With her eyes a solid color it was easier to notice. The tell-tale sign of a mental conversation, which revealed something about the two before her that she'd not known yet, and she smiled at the discovery.

There was a flash of orange from her as she transformed. "Sanjuu Kinryoku!" she cried shooting forward. Piccolo and Vegeta turned and watched her as she sped out passed them, both shocked that she was heading into the battle. She zipped passed Sakura flying along only a couple feet above the road. Above her Trunks and 13 were fighting again, the Android too busy with the Sai-jin to notice her.

Once she was passed them, behind the Android, she veered up into the sky and turned so she was facing their way. She slowed her ascent as she neared their altitude coming to a stop as she leveled off with them. As she stopped her silver aura faded away back to her orange aura again. "Shika-Shidou." she said softly as she brought her arms up before her, her hands moving rapidly through a series of motions.

She closed her eyes as her orange aura swirled and then pulled into her body as her hands worked furiously. Suddenly they came to a stop and her eyes snapped open again. They flashed bright white as she called out. "Iryoku!" There was a bright flash of white from her and she threw her head and arms back, a blinding white aura flaring up around her. She lowered her head a second later, her still solid white eyes glowing, her hair floating in the air and glowing white as well. Blue and gold energy sparking around her bright white aura.

Her power had jumped up massively from what it had been a moment before. The sudden power surge and flashes of light drew the attentions of Trunks and 13 as well, the two only just now noticing her presence as she shifted her position and cupped her hands at her side. There was a flash of blue between her palms that pulsed and then turned silver, the power radiating from it growing quickly. "Kame... Ryoku... haaaaaaaaa!" She cried thrusting her arms forward.

The rush of power as the silver energy wave surged out washed over the city tearing up the street, shredding buildings, and sending cars sailing away. Trunks had already moved aside as soon as he realized Hotaru was going to attack leaving only the Android to stare down the massive stream of energy charging its way. Super 13 was too shocked from the sudden and powerful attack to block and it slammed directly into him engulfing him completely.

Hotaru kept it up for several seconds and then it faded into nothing, as did her power. The white aura shifted back to orange, her eyes turned red and then returned to normal, her hair fell back down against her head, the glows of white and blue fading away, and her power dropped below where it had been before she'd started the assault run. She'd obviously expended a lot of her power in that move.

Panting heavily she smiled. There was no sign of the Android, though she doubted she'd destroyed it, just knocked it well into the distance. "That was... amazing." Trunks breathed as he stared off in the direction the attack had driven the Android.

Hotaru shrugged. "I have a few tricks." she said breathlessly. "Besides, you didn't think I'd let my daughter and her husband fight that thing by themselves."

"Husband?" Vegeta cried in shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sakura smiled. "You noticed I take it?"

"The tell-tale glowing eyes? Ya, I noticed." She turned her attention back out to where 13 was no doubt recovering by now. "We can discuss it later, though. We still have a fight to win."

"You don't." Trunks said shaking his head. "Thank-you for the help, you probably bought us the time we need, but you're far too worn to help further."

Hotaru sighed and nodded. "Ya, that took a lot out of me... You two finish up..." she said as she drifted back over to where Vegeta and Piccolo stood. As she did Sakura turned to face the way 13 had gone, the energy over her head still pulsing and growing. A moment later a dot appeared in the distance, but not a black dot, a glowing dot. One with a yellow aura, and a power level.

"Cell!" Sakura cried in shock. As he neared she noticed that 13 was beside him. "Damn!"

-Don't worry, you take out 13, I'll fight Cell.- Trunks said telepathically, not taking his eyes off the nearing opponents.

-Right, be careful.- she replied as the two reached them.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Cell asked smirking. "I must admit, you've gotten a lot stronger. Still though, you can't beat me."

"I'd have to disagree." Trunks replied. "You've not gotten nearly strong enough to stand against Sakura or I."

"Oh, but I have!" Suddenly Trunks felt Cell's power rising steadily, soon it was at Sakura's level, then his, and then beyond.

"What!"

"This isn't good..." Piccolo growled. "Damn it, he's gotten even stronger than I'd expected!"

"Then I'll just have to deal with you both!" Sakura called as she recovered from the shock of Cell's power. She lowered her arm, pointing her palm, and the energy above it, toward Cell and Super 13. "Wakusei Reikon Kougeki!" she called, the energy blasting toward them.

Cell moved in front of Super 13 and crossed his arms as the attack neared and then impacted engulfing them and then exploding savagely. When the dust and glare faded it revealed an unscathed Super 13, thanks to Cell's defense, and a Cell that was missing his arms. Sakura smiled. "Well, not what I'd hoped for but it works."

"Think again, girl." Cell said with a smirk as his limbs regenerated. "Being part Namek... comes in handy."

Suddenly 13 smiled. "It would seem your idea worked." he said looking at Cell. "I shall be on my way then."

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Gero's Lab:

Tao took a seat at the computer and set to work. Both he and Cell had been suprised by the powers coming from Capital City. It was apparent that Tao was far outmatched so the original plan wouldn't work. Tao had intended to return to Capital City to help in the fighting but with the powers there, well, it wouldn't be possible. However, Cell was still, in Tao's opinion, obsessed with becoming Perfect.

So Tao had set off to the lab. 18's tracking device was blocked now, yes, but there was still one way to find her. She put out an energy, just like him and her brother. It wasn't Ki but it was detectable. He'd use Gero's satellites to locate her and then send that info to 13. While the Android got her, Cell would deal with those in Capital City.

"Ah, there you are." Tao said looking at the blinking dot over the hologram. "Interesting... she's well above the Earth's surface... Wait, I know this area. That tower is there, were I first fought Goku. Very interesting."

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The Lookout:

"I have to go." 18 said turning from the edge.

"What? Why?" Krillin asked.

"There's still a means of tracking me, my energy output." she replied. "Tao must have gone to the lab now to do just that. He's found me and now 13 is coming after me. It's not safe here." She stopped in mid step as something dawned on her. "It's not safe anywhere..."

"Energy output?" Raditz asked. "You have no detectable Ki..."

"Not Ki, I have a Proton Wave Generator. Proton Wave's are more powerful than Ki. Tao's going to use Dr. Gero's satelites to track my Proton Wave output and find me."

"You're shilded now though." Appla said resting an arm on her shoulder. "They can't find you here..."

"Proton Wave's have a long range. Several hundred miles, they go beyond the protection of the Lookout, and aren't part of the shielding that Goku wished for. If I stay you're in danger... But no matter where I go they'll find me..." she shook her head and turned to face Appla. "If I live you're in even more danger. You have to destroy me."

"What?" Yamcha cried.

"It's the only way. I don't want to be part of that... that thing down there!" 18 said. "I've got a self-preservation system in me, it wont let me destroy myself, but you can. I can lower my output low enough that you can destroy me at your full power." she said to Appla.

Appla shook her head. "No, there has to be another way."

"There is no other way! Please!"

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Capital City:

13 had flown off leaving Cell behind to fight the Z Fighters. "Where's he off to?" Vegeta growled watching after him. Unkown to the others, Gero had taken off as well.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Cell asked laughing. "He's gone to retrieve 18 for me now that we know her location. After that last display of power I figured it would be best if I fought you and he got her."

"How did..." Trunks started.

"We find her?" Cell finished. "Easy enough, she does have an energy output after all. It's not Ki but it's trackable."

"The others!" Sakura cried.

"We'll go." Hotaru said looking over to Piccolo. The Namek nodded and the two took off. They weren't sure if they could stop the Android but they had to at least help the others.

"Father..." Trunks started.

Vegeta smirked and then let out a yell as he transformed. It only took a few seconds and then he was back at full power. He then floated up beside his son while Sakura floated up on Trunks' other side.

"Oh, please Vegeta." Cell laughed. "You think you can fight me with such a puny power?"

"In a three on one fight?" Vegeta asked, smirking. "Sure."

"We'll see about that." 


	21. Assault on the Lookout

Chapter Twenty-one - Assault on the Lookout

The four lone warriors still in Captial City floated in the air staring each other down. Trunks knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Cell, at least not on his own. But he wasn't sure that Sakura or his father would be enough help. Cell would easily trounce either of them in a one on one and the battle would be seriously one sided even against him. Still, they had no choice but to try. If Cell survived, if he got away from them now, he could get to 18 and become Perfect and then all hope of stopping him would be lost.

Vegeta launched in first. Cell smirked as the Sai-jin Prince charged him. Vegeta pulled back a fist readying to throw a punch but before he could, Cell backhanded him away with a thunderous crack. Then his other arm shot back, his elbow slamming into Sakura's stomach doubling her over. A second later his knee shot up and smashed into Trunks' jaw knocking him higher into the air. Cell turned and smashed a fist into Sakura's face knocking her away.

"Come on, is that all you can do?" Cell laughed. Suddenly his right arm shot up and back and smashed into Vegeta's face knocking him back again. And then Trunks and Sakura were charging him again. They were seconds away from hitting him, he vanished, and they collided into each other.

"Gah, he's not even trying!" Vegeta growled re-joining the others.

"Of course not." Cell laughed. "Against ants like you, why would I have to try?" His eyes roamed over the three of them and he smirked as they settled on Sakura. "You know, in my time-line you Tanarians don't exist, as far as I know. Never came to Earth or entered the Doctor's files at least. Impressive spieces though."

"Flattery wont save you." Sakura replied.

Cell laughed again. "I already have plenty of genetic material in my system, the greatest DNA in the universe. Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Vegeta, and Trunks. Even Frieza and his father. To a lesser ammount there's even some of Roshi, Tao, Nam, and Giran in my system. Supressed considerably compared to the Namekian and Sai-jin DNA, but still there." 

Cell's smirk widened. "Yes, all of the best fighters, the greatest powers... And yet here you are, a Tanarian, or at least a half Tanarian. Stronger than even the great Sai-jin Prince, and not a part of me. But... that shall soon change." The three warriors eyes went wide in shock and then Cell shot in toward them.

Trunks moved between the charging creature and Sakura bringing his arms up to block the incoming punch. The force of the blow knocked him back into her and sent both of them into a building. Vegeta launched in again but Cell's tail snapped out and slammed into the side of his head knocking him away again and then he charged into the building.

Landing inside the hallway he looked around for his target. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" he called laughing. "Ollie, Ollie, Oxenfree!" As his eyes scanned the offices around him, his senses reached out as well for some twinge of power. Suddenly he felt two, one on either side of the hall, pressed up against the wall at the intersection. "Ah, found you!"

His tail shot out smashing into the wall on the right and destroying it comepletely. Trunks dove out of the way, his golden aura flaring back up once more. He'd reverted back to base while hiding but in an instant was back to full poower again. Cell walked down the hall at a leisurely pace to the intersection and looked off to the left. "Aww, all done fighting me?" he asked with a smirk.

"They may be, but I'm not!" Vegeta called from the hole in the wall behind Cell. The creature glanced back at Vegeta and he arched an eyebrow. The Sai-jin had his arms stretched out before him, golden energy sparking and flashing madly in and around his palms, his muscles pusling and rippling with more power than they could hold, as he finished charging an attack. "Final Flash!"

The golden energy swelled and then exploded forward tearing into and through the building. The outside wall cracked and started to crumble. The beam slammed into Cell, the energy swelling and then exploding. The explosion shook the entire building, blasted out the walls on that floor, and then brought the whole thing crashing down. Panting heavily he lowered his arms and then looked up over the smoke.

He could see Trunks floating there holding Sakura, who was in her base form. The Sai-jin let her go and she floated off to the side looking down into the smoke. An orange glow swirled up around her like flame and then in a flash she transformed, then there was a flash of silver and her aura changed color, her power jumping up to where it had been a moment before.

Vegeta just started to turn his eyes back down to the smoke when Cell exploded out of it charging straight for him. Before he could even think a fist slammed into him hard, his eyes snapping wide and mouth gaping open. He hung there on the creature's fist for a moment, his muscles shrinking and hair turning black, and then fell to the ground unconscious.

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Somewhere between Capital City and the Lookout:

Super 13 flew along at full speed, his sensors still monitoring the battle he'd just left as well as tracking Dr. Gero who was making his way back to the lab where Tao was. He was also keeping a lock on the satellite feed showing 18's location. -Tao, are you sure that is her?- he asked as he went, his eyes narrowing slightly. -She's awfully high up.-

-It's definately a Proton Wave signature.- Tao's voice replied, inside his head. -It's certainly her, considering I was reading a level of 45 before it dropped and Cell's already absorbed 17. That means it has to be 18. There's a tall tower at the location, she's probably atop of that.-

-Understood.- 13 replied. He increased his angle and started moving up breaking through the cloud layer a moment later. Activating his telescopic vision he zoomed in on the horizon and saw it, just breaking over the horizon line. A tall tower reaching up a few hundred feet above the clouds yet. Imposing the reading for 18's signal over his vision he found she was even higher up and turned his gaze up.

There, a thousand plus feet over the tower, floated something else entirely. That was where he'd find his target. Once more he increased his angle and made a beeline for the Lookout. It only took a couple minutes longer and then he was flying up along the side of the Lookout. A second later he topped it and landed on the edge, his yellow eyes taking in the sight before him.

His data banks quickly identified most of those there. Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Appla, Bulma, and of course, 18. There were two children, one only a baby, and two men he didn't recognize. "There you are 18, Cell has been looking for you." he said taking a step forward.

"Appla, do it!" 18 cried looking toward the Sai-jin.

The Sai-jin female turned her eyes back and forth between 13 and 18 and then closed them. "Kami forgive me." she whispered softly. Then, opening her eyes, she called out. "Kaio Ken times 45!" Instantly her red aura flared up and her muscles bulged, the ground under her feet cracking. She floated there for a moment and then brought her right arm up, palm pointed toward 18's chest.

There was a spark in front of her palm and then a red ball of Ki began to form, steadily growing larger. "I don't think so." 13 growled, realizing what was happening. In a flash he was charging toward her. A second later he reached her and smashed a fist into her head knocking her into the shrine atop the Lookout. He then turned to face 18. "You're coming with me."

"You stay away from her!" Krillin cried jumping in toward the blue machine. His foot shot out and smashed into 13's head but the Android didn't flinch. He pulled back and then clenched his hands together and called out. "Nibai Kinryoku!" The silver aura flared up around him, his muscles bulging slightly. Again he shot in but this time 13's elbow shot back and smashed into his face knocking him away.

Krillin pulled to a stop after a few yards and glared at 13 as 18 thrust her arms out and started firing her own energy blasts at it. "Damn it... here goes nothing... Sanjuu Kinryoku!" he yelled. The silver aura around him swelled and grew thicker and brighter, his muscles growing even larger, and then he shot in again. Reaching the machine he started pounding his hands and feet into it to no avail.

Suddenly the rubble of the right side of the shrine exploded and Appla shot up into the air. She stopped several dozen feet up and glanced up at the warrior above her preparing his own attack. Smirking she turned her eyes back down to 13 and thrust her right arm down toward him, energy gathering in front of her palm again.

Meanwhile Raditz had already powered up and shot in toward the Android as well. He moved around between 18 and 13 and started launching his assault smashing his hands and feet into the blue machine's chest and head but having as little effect as Krillin. 13 growled. "Annoying flies!" There was a flash of blue from his body and both warriors were blasted away from him by the shockwave.

Appla closed her eyes and turned her aim from Android to Cyborg. "18!" she yelled down, getting the other's attention. 

Both looked up and saw her, 18 nodding as soon as she did. "Do it!"

Appla nodded. "Crimson Thunder!" she cried. Her arm jerked back and her red aura faded as the large sparking ball of energy surged down toward 18. The Cyborg closed her eyes and held her arms out to the side leaving herself open to the attack.

"I don't think so!" 13 yelled jumping into the air and reaching a hand up catching the attack.

"What!" Appla cried, lowering her arm. /No... I put... everything into that. I don't have enough left to fight with.../ she thought, panting heavily.

13 smirked. "Here, I think this is yours!" he cried, throwing it back up at her. Appla's eyes went wide and she froze with fear. There was absolutely no way she could block or dodge it, no way she could survive it. She knew she'd be lucky if there was even dust left of her after it hit. Even if she still had her full power she'd have little chance of surviving, but this weakened... no way. She closed her eyes. /Well, this is it. No more revivals for me. Good-bye Raditz, Gohan, Goku... Maybe I'll see you later, and Bardock, I'll be waiting for you./

Suddenly someone engulfed in a silver aura, with silver hair flapping about madly, arms crossed before her, appeared between her and the nearing attack. "Hotaru, no!" Appla cried, but it was too late. There was a blinding flash of red as the energy hit her and then surrounded her. She threw her head back screaming and then there was another bright flash and a sudden rush of air in toward her that lasted a split second.

When the glare died Hotaru, once more in base, fell to the ground hitting the floor of the Lookout with a dull thud, smoke drifting up from her body, clothes torn to shreds. Her power was nearly gone, but still there. Cuts covered her body, blood slowly seeping free. "Hotaru!" Yamcha cried running over to her and kneeling down beside her. 13 frowned as he watched Appla drift down and land with the other two, checking on the girl.

There was a loud crack as Piccolo's foot smashed into the back of the Android's head but the machine didn't budge. "More pests." he said at last turning to face the Namek. "Do you all wish to die so badly? My orders are only to take 18, none of you matter. You would save yourselves the pain if you simply stayed out of the way." As soon as he turned, Yamcha stood up cupping his hands at his side.

"And let that Cell creature get stronger? Not a chance." Piccolo growled, pulling back his arms and charging energy in his palms. Drifting back slightly he thrust his arms forward with a cry and fired the energy point blank into the Android's chest. It swelled and then exploded on impact. Piccolo smirked but then Super 13's fist shot out of the smoke and smashed into his face knocking him flying off the Lookout completely.

The Android then turned toward where 18 had been and found her missing. "Now where'd she go..." he wondered, glancing about for her. Not seeing her, he brought up his satellite feed again. "Ah, there you are, heading north... Ah, I see. Going to destroy the lab, shut down the satellite's, are you? Well, I don't think so."

"Sanjuu Kameryokuha!" Yamcha cried thrusting his arms forward before the machine could move. It turned just in time to see the silver stream of energy charging toward it. The machine's yellow eyes flashed and the wave was torn apart before it even reached him. Another flash and Yamcha was knocked back several feet and onto the ground.

"Now that the pests have been dealt with I'll be on my way." it said turning.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone!" Tien yelled down as 13 walked to the edge of the Lookout. The Android looked up and saw the Human floating there, a red aura dancing about his body, golden energy flashing between his hands. 

The machine recognized the hand shape. "Your Tri-beam is powerful, but it can't stop me. You'll only waste your energy."

"We'll see about that!" Tien called down. /Sorry Chaotzu, Vadora... I don't know if I'll live through this./ Suddenly the golden energy between his hands flashed to silver, and then to red. "Super Tri-beam!" With that cry a blast of powerful red energy surged down toward the Android, it's eyes widening as it computed the power of the attack. 

Quickly it brought up its arms to block and the energy hit dead-on driving the machine down through the edge of the Lookout down toward the Earth. Tien relaxed, his muscles shrinking back down from their tripled size, and he wavered in the air. Then his eyes closed and he fell down to the floor of the Lookout.

Piccolo pulled himself to a stop in his descent halfway down from the Lookout and started flying back up. He was still a few hundred feet off when suddenly a huge power spiked up on the Lookout. "What the hell?" he cried, eyes going wide. And then the red energy tore through the edge of the Lookout ripping a chunk off and driving the Android down passed him. He just barely dodged out of the way as it zipped passed. "Ugh, no way... was that Tien?" He looked back up toward the Lookout and felt the Human's energy dropping quickly. His wasn't the only one fading, however.

"Damn, Hotaru, Krillin, and Yamcha... they're all fading." he muttered. In a flash of green he surged up toward the Lookout landing a moment later. Bulma was already kneeling beside the downed Krillin and giving him a Senzu, Hercule doing the same for Tien, and Chi-Chi giving one to Yamcha. The Namek moved over to Bulma and took two Senzu's from the bag in her hand before heading over to Appla and Hotaru.

Meanwhile, far below them, the Super Tri-beam slammed Super 13 down into the Earth before exploding and destroying at least a mile of terrain, turning it into a barren blasted landscape instantly. And then silence as the dust settled. A minute passed, then two, finally the Android floated up out of the large hole in the planet, its gaze turned skyward in a deep scowl. "That pathetic Human generated more power than even Vegeta! How the hell is that possible! Tch, no matter, that attack most likely killed him, unless they got to him within a few moments."

He reached up and touched a hand to his neck where something felt wrong and felt around. "Something's out of place... I'll have Dr. Gero take a look later. First I need to get to 18." he said looking around. As soon as he locked onto her Proton Wave signal again he shot off after her moving at more than twice her speed. "Shouldn't take more than three minutes to catch her."

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Planet Vegeta, the Palace:

"Tien!" Vadora cried, feeling his power jump and then dive a second before the screen before her registered the power flux. Her hands instantly went to her stomach and she closed her eyes trying to focus on the powers on Earth. The numbers for Tien had been replaced by NR, or No Reading. He'd dropped below the ten thousand bottom scan of the new systems.

It took a moment but then she sensed him and the other downed fighters. Their powers were low and still dropping slowly. Her eyes clenched shut tightly as she focused on them not relaxing until she felt them going up again. "Thank Kami." she whispered, relaxing.

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Capital City:

"Father!" Trunks cried as Vegeta fell to the Earth. With a yell he charged down toward Cell, his golden aura trailing behind him. Cell turned to face him and smiled. He slipped to the left easily dodging a punch meant for his face and then ducked under a kick, spun around behind the Sai-jin, and slammed his foot into his back driving him into the ground on top of his father.

"Come now, you can't defeat me!" he laughed. "I must say, I hadn't expected the power boost to be this impressive." he said looking down at his hands. "And the one from absorbing 18 will be just as great! They're strengths are the same in this time-line, unlike in mine, but their DNA is still the same. Fraternal twins, two peices of the same puzzle. Once I have both my full strength will be unlocked and I will be even more powerful than I am now. My Perfect Form will make this stage look insignificant!"

"Not if you don't reach it!" Sakura cried as she flew down at him.

Cell turned again and his fist snapped out smashing into her face knocking her skyward once more. This time he followed, chased up after her. It didn't take long to reach and then pass her. Turning toward her, a moment later, he caught her. His legs wrapped around hers and his arms wrapped around her body pinning her arms to her sides. "Now, let's see what improvements your DNA can offer to my being." Cell said with a smirk, his tail reaching up over his shoulder from behind.

Sakura's eyes snapped wide as the point of the creature's tail plunged into her neck. The pain lanced up into her head and down along her arm more intense than anything she'd ever felt. And then it intensified as she felt her energy and blood being sucked out of her body. Down below Trunks had climbed back to his feet and looked up toward them. "Oh no... Sakura! Hang on Sakura, I'm coming!" he yelled shooting up into the air again. 


	22. From Bad to Worse

Chapter Twenty-two - From Bad to Worse

Cell looked down as he heard Trunks call out and frowned. Making sure he had a good grip with his left arm he pointed his right down toward Trunks. His arm jerked a little and then a force blast slammed into Trunks knocking him back down into the ground. Sakura tried to use the loosened hold on her to get free but Cell still had her gripped too tightly. /Damn, how do I get away/ her mind cried as she clenched her eyes shut trying to fight off the pain. /Maybe... gaaaaaah... gotta get this... FREAK off of me. Well, either way I'm dead, so I guess it's worth a try, at least this way... I've got a chance./

Trunks climbed back to his feet and looked up in time to see Sakura's fists clench and her eyes open. A faint glow came to her eyes first and then to his which snapped wide instantly. "Sakura, no!" he cried. "That's too dangerous!"

Cell looked down at him again and scowled. However, he didn't have time to say anything as a low growl from Sakura drew his attention to her. "Time... to... let... me... go... you... freak. Sanjuuuu... KINRYOKUUUUUU!" she cired, snapping her arms out to the side. Her aura flared up blindingly bright, her power swelling and washing out around her. Cell let out a mixed cry of shock and pain and jerked back from her. And then her sky rocketing power started to plummet, as did she. Her silver aura faded and she reverted to normal as she fell to the ground.

Trunks jumped up and caught her making sure she was okay before looking up to find Cell. The creature was still floating there, a few dozen feet back from where he'd been while holding Sakura, with a very angry look on his face. The entirety of his legs were missing as well as his arms and half his tail. No doubt blasted off in the rush of power, since he'd had his defenses down. Trunks floated down to the ground and lay Sakura down beside his father. By the time he looked up again Cell had regrown his missing parts.

The Sai-jin scowled. Cell had managed to absorb a decent amount of energy while he'd been draining Sakura, he had even less of a chance of beating him now than before. Especially with only himself left to fight. Now that both his father and mate were down... things did not look good. But he had to find a way to win, he had to. Vegeta and Sakura were defenseless now, if he didn't destroy Cell...

"No..." he shook his head. "I wont lose her, she's all I've got left." He started shifting his position, turning sideways to Cell. The ground under his feet cracked and he sank a little and then he raised his right arm up toward Cell. Blue energy began to gather from the ground and air around him, as well as his own golden energy, and formed into a ball before his hand.

"What do you think you're up to?" Cell asked smirking and crossing his arms. "You can't defeat me!"

Trunks narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling Cell was right, even if he hit him with his strongest attack he'd probably just come back. His regenerative powers were an unknown factor. He'd just have to hit him with his best, grab his father and Sakura, and take off before he regenerated. If he was lucky the blast would take Cell out for good. If not... at least they'd have gotten away.

He shook his head. "I don't know if I can or not but I can give it my best shot!" he called up. "I wont let this world suffer the same fate as my own!" The energy in front of his palm pulsed and flared, he'd have to go with what he had, charging more would be too dangerous, too hard to control. "Wakusei Okaeshi Bakuha!" he called.

The ground beneath his feet cracked and shattered further as the energy he gathered flared and shot toward Cell in a massive and powerful wave of blue and gold energy. Cell's eyes widened in shock, the power of the attack had flared up the instant it was fired. As soon as the attack engulfed him Trunks ended it, bent down, grabbed his father and his mate, and then took off toward the Lookout. He wasn't sure how the fighting was going or had gone there but it was still the safest and best place to go.

Shortly after Trunks vanished into the distance the last of the energy sped passed Cell revealing a severly distorted creature. His arms, head, legs, and tail were gone and his body was half gone as well. Suddenly shoulers and then arms sprouted from it. Then legs shot down, his tail grew back out, and his head popped up like a turtle's. From the instant it reformed he had a rather pissed look on his face. 

"That brat! I have GOT to stop underestimating these pests. They know things, moves, that I don't... No matter. Once I have 18 my power will be unreachable and the transformation to my Perfect Form will allow me to fully integrate the DNA I got from that girl." He smirked at that. Integrating her DNA would boost his power even higher than just integrating 18. A two for one deal, once he had her.

The question was, where was she? He wasn't even sure where the Android had gone to find her or if the battle had ended yet. "I guess I could go track down that lab Tao mentioned. He said it was in the north... to the East of North City... Not much to go on but it's all I've got." he said thoughtfully, turning north. He could still feel Trunks flying off to the west at high speed but wasn't interested in him. Attaining his full power was more important. In a flash of gold he shot off to the north.

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Planet Vegeta, the Palace:

"No way!" Vadora cried, wide-eyed, at what she felt and saw. These new 'Super Scouters' were amazing. Despite the powers on Earth they were still reading and not overloading. Even with the sudden and massive increases they'd been getting lately. First with Sakura's power-up against Super 13 followed by Trunks' own power-up. The next shock had been Tien's attack, and then came Sakura's sudden rush of power with her use of the Kinryoku followed just now by Trunks' massive rush of power with his attack.

King Vegeta nodded as he gazed at the power reading of Cell. "And with the power this Cell creature absorbed from Sakura he's almost equal to my own Oozaru form... if I still had access to it at least."

"Such power is hard to believe." Pug said slowly. "Even if Goku had not defeated Frieza on Namek his reign would have ended within the next few days anyway. Especially with the likes of this Cell creature running around."

"Is there even a chance now?" Vadora asked after a moment. "With the Prince, Trunks, and Sakura beaten there's nothing left standing between Cell and 18. If he becomes Perfect..."

"All we can hope for..." The King said slowly. "Is that Goku and Bardock's training pays off. If the Kais are on our side then the Guardian Powers will come to our aid. Whether or not they can compare to Cell's own power is another matter."

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Earth, about 120 miles south west of North City:

18 had picked up Super 13 trailing her about a couple minutes ago and it was obvious she'd not out run him. So she decided that instead of going where she'd intended she'd find a new, closer, destination. As such she turned skyward, toward the space tears. It had taken her the last two minutes to reach the border of time-space tears. She was just out of their reach but just close enough to move into them in a moment's notice.

If she was lucky she could get him into the reach of the tears, use them to destroy him. If not... she'd go in herself. Either way she'd be free of him chasing her... She'd still need to do something about Cell if it was 13 that was destroyed but it'd still be a step in the right direction. She couldn't move back into the tear, her self-preservation systems wouldn't let her. But she could fire off a strong Ki blast, use it's recoil to push her into it.

A moment later she saw him nearing, charging up toward her. /That's it, come at me you stupid piece of junk./ she thought, bringing her arm up and gathering the energy she'd need. Suddenly he pulled to a stop, still a good distance back. "Come on, what are you waiting for!" she yelled.

"I don't know what you're up to but it's not going to work." the Android responded. He then held his arms in front of him and brought his hands together in a circle. Blue energy circled its way around the inside of his hand making a ring. He then pulled his arms apart, spreading his fingers, and the circle grew larger and larger. "Containment Rings!" he called thrusting his arms forward.

18's eyes widened as the ring charged toward her breaking into four as it neared. She tried to move back but her systems wouldn't respond. /Damn it/ she cried mentally as she fired the energy blast at the rings but they simply expanded to let it pass through them. The recoil from the blast pushed her back as she'd hoped but not far enough before the rings reached her and surrounded her.

Two slid down from above, one locking around her waist, the other at her shoulders. The other two came up from below, the first wrapping around her knees and the second around her ankles. And just like that she was bound up, unable to move. "Let me go!" she growled, trying to break the energy bonds.

13 floated over to where she was and grabbed her head pulling her to eye level and close to his face. "If it wasn't for Cell wanting you I'd just obliterate you right now." he said, his eyes narrowing. "We never liked you or your brother. You were far too much trouble, pathetic Humans."

18 scowled right back at him. "So why are you even taking me to Cell then? I thought you hated anything organic, not just 17 and I."

"True, but strength is strength and he is stronger than me." 13 then tucked her under his arm and turned toward where he could detect Cell flying. "Ah, good, he's coming in our general direction. Won't take long to reach him now." he said. Just as the Android started down toward the planet 18's eyes flashed, the force of the energy she'd just released pushed her free of 13's lax grip on her and she started back toward the tears again.

The Android turned quickly reaching its arm out. Its palm glowed a faint blue and the bonds around 18 pulsed. Still a few inches short of the tear she stopped and drifted back toward 13's hand. She stopped a foot short of reaching him however and he pulled back a fist. "Lights out!" he growled thrusting his arm forward and smashing his fist into 18's stomach hard enough to knock her out. He then tucked her under his arm again, locked onto Cell's power, and took off toward him.

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The Lookout:

"Now what do we do?" Hotaru asked as she watched Super 13 flying off with 18 under his arm. "Once Cell's become Perfect nothing will be able to stop him."

"Goku will come through." Bulma said watching as well. "He always does."

Yamcha glanced over to her as he joined the others at the edge. "I hope you're right Bulma." he said as he looked off toward where Trunks was at as he made his way toward them. "But I don't think that even Goku could beat Cell at his full power." He sighed and looked toward the odd sky above them. "And without the Dragonballs we can't wish ourselves off of the planet, like we'd planned, before destroying it."

"If that's what it comes to..." Appla said softly, her eyes looking over the planet below. "We have to destroy him, no matter the cost. We can't let him loose on the rest of the galaxy, they just got free of Frieza's grasp four years ago."

Everyone turned to look as Trunks topped over the edge of the Lookout and then landed. As he laid Sakura and Vegeta down Bulma walked over to him, the bag of Senzus in her hand. She took out one and gave the bag to Trunks. The two of them knelt down and slipped the senzu into their unconcious mate's mouths. A moment later the two warriors were sitting up again.

"Damn it." Vegeta growled, his hand clenching into a fist. "All of my training... everything... and that... that freak..." he trailed off, too angry to talk.

"It gets worse." Raditz said. "They've met up." The others looked over to Raditz and then down at the planet. Trunks, Sakura, Vegeta, and Bulma walked over to the others and looked as well. Super 13 had caught up with Cell and the creature now had hold of 18.

"We have to do something!" Krillin called, his hands closing into fists.

"There's nothing we can do." Piccolo said with a sigh as Cell's tail opened up. A second later 18 was gone. Cell's body began to pulse and flash and his power built. Suddenly there was a blinding flash and the clouds around him were blown outward and away by several miles. Blue energy swirled around him hiding him from view. The energy sphere itself was at least a hundred yards across.

"U-unreal!" Tien cried. There was another flash and then the energy shrank away revealing a fully transformed Cell. "Oh man... how do we fight against that?"

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The Sky:

Cell looked down at his hands and just floated there for several moments. And then a smile spread across his face. "This is amazing!" he cried laughing. "This power... it's incredible! Even greater than I'd expected!"

"So, how about we go finish off the others?" 13 asked, turning toward the direction of the Lookout.

Cell floated there in silence for a moment and then shook his head and looked toward 13. Not with the blue eyes he had possesed in his previous form but new red eyes. "No, no. I don't just get the power from these transformations, but memories as well. And 18 knows something that intrigues me. I now understand how Vegeta improved so quickly. I had been curious about that."

"What's that matter?"

"I want to test my new strength against real opponents, that means waiting a little while. Come on, you can guide me to this lab of Dr. Gero's... I don't know if it's the same location as the one from my time and world." 13 frowned as he turned around but led Cell off toward the lab anyway. 


	23. Cell's Grand Announcement

Chapter Twenty-three - Cell's Grand Announcement

Cell landed a second after Super 13 did right outside the doors to Dr. Gero's lab. The doctor was already standing there with Tao at his side. "Such power is well beyond my estimates." Dr. Gero said looking Cell over. "For anything made of organic material to have such power... it's beyond absurd really."

Cell smirked. "Well, it's as you always said, at least in my time-line. The Organic Advantage, the ability to get stronger over time."

"Is that so?" Gero asked. "Interesting. In this world, this time-line, I set my goals on building the ultimate Android. I dabbled with Cyborgs, of course, but their power was nothing and so I tossed aside all thougts of organic based creations. I wonder what went differently in your world to change my mind."

"Your study of Sai-jin and Changeling DNA." Cell said as he reached up to crack his neck. "You found in them the answers you were after."

"Sai-jin and Changeling DNA?" Gero asked. "I did collect DNA samples and studied them for years to see if they would lead me anywhere but they never did. And I never did accquire Changeling DNA. It would seem that Frieza and his father did visit Earth but by then I had already stopped collecting DNA."

Cell nodded. "That would explain it. You noticed within them two attributes that, once mixed together, would give the resulting being unlimited ability and potential. Both races have massive ammounts of potential, Sai-jins more than Changelings, but both still have their limitations. Their bodies can only adapt so much, eventually the Changeling can no longer transform and the Sai-jin no longer gain Zenkais, but by mixing certain elements of both the true ultimate lifeform can be created. One with no limits to the power it can gain. Throw in a little Human and Namekian DNA for extra measure and added benefits and you have an unstoppable warrior. Me."

Cell smirked. "And now I also have Tanarian DNA in my system, absorbed from that Sakura girl and integrated during my transformation to my new state. This power... it is greater than I anticipated. No doubt thanks to that girl's DNA. I now possess the genetic material of four of the most powerful races in the universe. Sai-jin, Human, Changeling, and Tanarian."

"So then, why did you come here instead of going after the others?" Tao asked.

The creature shrugged. "I seek a challenge now that I have reached my full power. I'm going to give Goku and his friends a while to train and improve." He looked down at one of his hands as he opened and closed it. "And myself time to adapt. My power has increased greatly since this time yesterday. I want to be sure I can control it all before I get into another battle."

"So, then, what do you plan to do?" Gero asked.

Cell tilted his head in thought for a moment. "Ah! That's perfect!" he said at last, smiling. "Tell me, when was the last Budokai?"

"Budokai?" Tao asked, curious as to what Cell was up to. "About four years ago. The 24th Budokai was held, for the first time in November, as the organizers didn't want to wait another year and it had only just been completed. Due to the stadium being destroyed, again, it was postponed last year. The next one is not scheduled until May 7th of next year, assuming construction finishes on time this time."

"Well then, I guess I'll need to make my own ring." he said lifting into the air. "We are going to have a tournament."

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The Lookout:

Everyone had settled down between the two rows of trees and were waiting for... something. They didn't know what to expect now, Cell had gone off North first and was now flying south at a rather slow pace considering how fast he could go now. They were all too distracted to talk, each with their own thoughts.

Sakura closed her eyes and laid back stretching out on the floor. Her mind was working on overdrive analyzing everything from the earlier fights with Super 13 and Cell. She was picking apart everything either of her opponents had done. Their own offensive moves and their retaliatory actions to her and the others' attacks. She wanted to be ready for her next fight with them, and she knew she'd get another.

At the same time her mind was working strategy, it was also remembering. Everything from her first memory to this last battle. It was one long string of fights. Her first memory was one that no one should have. Her father's death. The only person close to her she'd not lost was Trunks and she had no intention of losing him at all. No matter what.

Vegeta was the only one of the group on his feet. After he'd come to again, thanks to a Senzu, he'd taken to leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Now that he was out of the fight his mind was trying to process the power his son and the Sakura girl had. After he'd finished his training he'd been so sure that nothing and no one would ever be able to match the power he had. Then he found out he'd been too blind to tell he'd been surpassed before he'd even finished training.

It had been nothing but one blow to his ego after another ever since Namek. The only thing that had gone his way since then was the fight against Cooler. He wasn't really sure how much more damage his pride could take. Somehow, somehow he knew that when Kakkarotto and his father emerged again his pride would take another blow. But he would make sure it was the last. Next time he entered the RoSaT he'd reach a power they couldn't hope to match.

Hotaru was sitting with her legs crossed, elbows on her knees, and head in her hands. She was contemplating her own hand in the recent battles, slim as it had been. It annoyed her to no end that she was falling behind the others so fast. When she'd first arrived on Earth, aside from Appla, Bardock, and Vadora, she was the strongest of them. Sure, she'd surpassed Vadora and Appla but Piccolo, Gohan, and Goku were going well beyond her seemingly at ever increasing speeds.

She was beyond proud that her daughter had attained the second transformation and was such a strong woman, in more ways than one. She was carrying on her own dream of restoring the Tanarian people to their former selves, even if it was currently by necessity. Hotaru turned her eyes toward her sprawled out daugther and smiled. /She's already a great Queen. We, no, I have to make sure she gets a better life this time./ Shifting she stood and moved over to where the present day Sakura sat playing with baby Trunks beside Bulma.

Piccolo sat apart from the rest of the group. His legs were crossed, as were his arms, and his eyes were closed. He'd intended to meditate but he couldn't seem to get his mind clear, old memories were drifting up, distracting him. On top of that the other... presences within him were restless. He'd experienced this a little after his merger with Nail but it was a bit more intense now, he had three different presences now, not just the one.

It had unsettled him at first, finding that he'd not added one presence to his mind but two, with his merger with Kami. Kami himself and one he could only assume was Zildar. He and Kami had changed so much over the years neither thought exactly the same as Zildar had but he was still there, just not as overt. He wasn't sure what the three of them were talking about in his head but he had a feeling it was related to his new found memories. No matter what the cause he just wished they'd keep it down a little, so he could focus.

Krillin had been staring at his feet for the last five or ten mintues, he wasn't really sure how long. He was too occupied trying to place the feeling he had. He knew he felt sorry for 18 and even her brother. Especially after having heard 18's tale of their lives. They really weren't bad people. Lost, misguided, confused, but not bad. But there was more to it than that and he just couldn't place what it was. 

It wasn't like he'd known her very long. A little over day. So what was it that he was feeling? Why was it that he was feeling it? And how the hell was he going to get 18 out of Cell. /Wai, wha/ he thought blinking. /Why do I...? Oh, now, you have to be... I can't be... I only knew her for.../ His shoulders slumped a bit and he put his head in his hands. /I am so screwed./

Trunks found that his mind had wandered into the past, or the future depending how you looked at it, as soon as he had a moment to himself. Memories of his own time-line, of the battles he'd fought, of the people he'd lost. He, Sakura, Gohan, and Videl had been an inseperable group for years. Sakura looked up to Videl like a sister, and he looked up to Gohan like a brother. Videl's death had hit Sakura hard, Gohan's had hit him hard.

And then he found his mind wandering away from the bad and toward the good. The few good memories he had, the memories he cherished the most. He couldn't believe it, but he smiled faintly as he remembered Hotaru giving him the Union Stone as they ran from the palace the day the Androids came. More than that, he remembered her parting words. "Ask her before her hair turns white." he mouthed, as he remembered. And he had, shortly after their first visit to the past. He'd make sure the future held nothing but good memories once he got back.

Tien was sitting outside the main group, though not as far as Piccolo. He, too, was leaning back against one of the trees, but with his eyes cast skyward. His mind wasn't on Earth but another world, deep in space. Planet Vegeta. He'd sent Chaotzu there a month ago, to stay with Vadora until this was over, he'd be due there in a couple of days. /Once this is over... I think maybe I'll move./ he thought, watching the energy arcing through the sky.

/With Vadora's position in the Palace she can't leave often, and there really isn't a reason for me to stay here./ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. /Yes. If I survive this... I'm moving to Planet Vegeta. No. Not if I survive. I can't start thinking like that now. Once this is over. Survival is not an option, it's a requirement. We'll all survive. We've been through too much to lose now./

Appla kept glancing back toward the building atop the Lookout. Her mind was stuck on her mate, her sons, and her grandson. She couldn't get how close she came to dying, for good, out of her mind. And the more she thought about that the more she thought about the fact Gohan and Bardock had both died once already, and that Goku had died twice. She was worried about losing them, especially Goku since he couldn't be revived again.

She hoped this would be the last time her family was threatened like this, even if she knew otherwise. /Even if we make it through this now there's still the matter of those others./ She closed her eyes and sighed as she leaned back and laid down putting her arms behind her head. /Worrying like this wont help anything. I'll just have to do my best to make sure nothing happens to them.../

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Planet Vegeta, the Palace:

Vadora had left the throne room a couple minutes ago and now stood on one of the balconies overlooking the city below. Things on Earth seemed to have calmed a little and she needed time to think. She couldn't get her mind off the thoughts and feelings that ran through her head when she didn't know if Tien was alive or dead earlier. Thoughts and feelings she'd never had before.

/I wonder if Bardock, Appla, and Goku rubbed off on me back on Earth./ she thought as she rested a hand on her stomach. "I never would have thought like this before my trip to Earth... it's all that airhead's fault." she muttered, smiling faintly and shaking her head. She turned her gaze skwyard and looked up at the stars. "Stay alive Tien. And Goku, you better make sure he does..."

King Vegeta still sat in his throne but his eyes were now on the floor instead of the machines before him. His thoughts had gone first to his son and his grandson, both the one of the present and the one from the future. They both far exceeded anything he'd dreamed they could. Even if it had not been enough in the end to win.

And then his thoughts had gone to what the future might hold. He wasn't sure if this Cell creature could be beaten, he couldn't see how even Bardock or Goku could match him. And if that was the case... the Earth Dragonballs were gone now and the Namek ones wouldn't be ready for months. By the time they could wish the Humans off of Earth for the last resort plan they'd probably all be dead anyway. Things were not going well.

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Tanaria, the Palace:

Sango stood with her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. Before her a small army of palace personnel were stocking one of the royal ships with supplies and equiping it with a newly developed prototype engine. She would be able to reach the Earth in about ten days time with it. It would be the fastest ship in the galaxy, assuming it didn't explode during the journey. But she had to get to Earth and her Terepo wouldn't go that far.

"This is crazy, you do realize that, don't you?" Akira said walking into the hangar room as well. "All you'll do by going to Earth is get yourself killed."

"We've been over this Akira." Sango said stiffly. "I'm going and that's all there is to it. Even if I have to break orders, so don't make me."

"He wont." Sora said as she, too, entered. "I've already ordered him not to." Sango smiled and gave the Queen a glance. "I only wish I could go with you, but it is out of the question sadly. If things... do not work out..."

"Don't." Sango said, her eyes going back to the preparations. "They will work out, Hotaru wont die out there. I know she wont."

Sora nodded and walked over to her. "Here, this is for you." she said, holding out her hand.

Sango glanced down curiously and then held her hand out. Sora then dropped a small silver pin into the other's palm. It was an object that Sango recognized from the history books, an Emissary Crest. They had spoken before about Sango becoming the Emissary of Tanaria, it's ambassador to the rest of the galaxy, but had not come to a decision yet. At least, Sango hadn't thought they had.

"This is..."

Sora nodded. "Akira, Kavar, and I decided that since you are going on this mission anyway it may as well be official."

Sango glanced over at Akira and raised an eyebrow. Somehow she doubted that Akira had actually agreed, more like been ordered to agree. "Thank-you, my Queen." she said at last, bowing, and then placing the crest on her clothes.

"Preparations are complete, ma'am." a Tanarian tech said from the ship.

Sango nodded. "Alright."

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Earth, the Lookout:

"Huh?" Krillin wondered, looking up. "Cell's stopped moving." he said, climbing to his feet. The others soon noticed the same thing and they all moved to the edge of the Lookout and gazed down at the planet. Cell had come to a stop about a hundred and twenty miles north-east of Capital City. "What's he up to?" Krillin asked seeing that the creature had lifted a large rock up out of the ground.

"No idea." Yamcha said. They all watched as Cell used his Ki to cut the rock apart into slabs and laid them about on the ground. "Wait... that looks like a..." As Cell set up four pillars, one at either corner of the slabs, and then take off again Yamcha blinked. "It is, it's a ring..."

"But, why?" Tien asked. Suddenly Cell lifted into the air and started south again. "What is he up to?"

"I don't know." Sakura said slowly. "This is... unusual. Why doesn't he just come here? 13 was able to find the Lookout. He could lead Cell here and we wouldn't stand a chance."

"That's probably it." Vegeta said after a moment. "We wouldn't stand a chance."

"I don't get it." said Trunks.

Vegeta turned and looked over to the lavendar haired half Sai-jin. "It's simple, really, he wants a fight. So instead of coming to us he's going to have us come to him, when we think we're ready."

"That will be his last mistake." Sakura said, her eyes narrowing as she watched Cell land in Capital City. "Now what's he doing..."

Bulma reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule case. Popping it open she pulled out a capsule, depressed the button, and tossed it to the ground. "Since Gero made an announcement once it's possible that's what Cell is going to do." she said, as a small TV appeared. "The biggest TV station in Captial City is ZNN..." Kneeling down she activated it and the screen turned to ZNN.

The news channel was still covering the series of recent events, breaking things down as they knew them. And then the anchor froze. A second later Cell walked into view and stood between him and the camera. "Hello people of Earth." Cell said smiling. "My name is Cell, I am one of Dr. Gero's creations. His greatest creation. I am here to make a challenge.

"I have created a ring to the northeast of the city. In 14 days time, on May 24th, I will be holding a tournament. The Cell Games. Anyone who wishes to enter may do so. The Cell Games will determine the fate of the Earth and the rest of the galaxy as well. You see, the prize for winning the Cell Games is the galaxy itself. You have exactly 14 days to prepare. The Cell Games will begin at exactly noon on May 24th. Until then." 


	24. Earth's New Guardian

Chapter Twenty-four - Earth's New Guardian

"Watch it!" Piccolo bellowed. "The Lookout's already in bad enough shape without you destroying what's left!" Krillin and Yamcha came to a quick and screeching halt, and gave the Namek nervous glances as they noticed the damage around them. You really couldn't tell what had come from earlier battles the day before and what had come from their heated training session. At least, not to them. But they knew that, somehow, Piccolo could tell.

"Uh... sorry Piccolo..." Krillin said scratching the back of his head. "I guess we just..."

Piccolo sighed. "I know. And I understand. Just... take it a little easier."

"Uh, sure thi..." Krillin started but stopped as he turned to face the building. "Huh? Oh, hey! They're done!"

"What?" Piccolo asked, uncrossing his arms and looking as well. Sure enough he could feel the Kis of Goku, Gohan, Bardock, and Videl again. "They still had... a month left..."

"Their power..." Appla said softly. "How are they so strong?" Everyone gathered in the center of the Lookout and gazed toward the building watching and waiting. Soft clicks started reaching them a moment later, the sounds of footfalls on the floor as the four warriors drew closer. And then their forms became discernable in the shadows of the building. A moment later they emerged into the light and brought gasps from those awaiting them.

"You... you're in Super Sai-jin?" Radditz asked in shock. "And... the girl is..."

"Yep, she transformed near the start of our training." Goku said smiling.

"How are you... able to stay transformed like that?" Trunks asked. "You all seem so relaxed."

"It was dad and Gandpa's idea." Gohan explained. "We've been in Super Sai-jin for about eight months now."

"Eight months?" Vegeta cried. /No way... the strain of being transformed so long... and how could they possibly maintain it while sleeping? Of course! They worked on the transformation itself, got used to it, to sustaining it, made it as natural as though they were always like that. Incredible/

"So, what's happened while we were gone?" Bardock asked looking around. "Was there a battle here as well?"

"Ya, things didn't go so good while you were gone." said Krillin. "Vegeta was winning agianst the Androids at first, but then four of them merged into one and started beating him. That's when Sakura and Trunks powered up, they're even stronger than Vegeta! At first... it looked like they'd win..."

"But then Cell, who had already absorbed 17, showed up." Sakura said shaking her head. "He fought us while Super 13 came here and got 18..."

Bardock stiffened a bit. "Wait, he's complete now?" 

The others nodded and Yamcha continued. "He's holding a tournament in two weeks. We figure he wants to let us train, doesn't think we can match him."

Bardock and Goku both reached out with their minds. "Uh... no way!" Goku cried. "I hadn't expected that much power..."

Vegeta smirked. "So, even the great Kakkarotto can't match Cell? Well, don't worry. After my next year in there I'll be ready. So, all that training and this is all you have to show for it?" Vegeta asked, smirking, as he looked at the four Super Sai-jins. "I suggest you don't even bother with another trip in to train, it wont help."

"We don't need another trip." Goku said stretching. 

Videl and Gohan looked up at them confused but Bardock just nodded. "Goku's right. Any more training would just be a waste, we've come as far as we can. We'll just have to hope it's enough."

Vegeta started laughing. "Enough? The two of you together would barely be stronger than me. You wont stand a chance."

"We're not at full power." Goku said, still working the kinks out. "No reason to be at full strength when you don't need to be, conserves energy. Just like in base form."

"You... can reduce your power, even in Super Sai-jin?" Trunks asked, suprised.

Goku shrugged. "I was able to do that on Namek, too, just not to this degree, or with this ease. It's perfectly natural now."

"So, then, how strong are you Goku?" Sakura asked.

"Ummm..." he scratched his chin, in thought. "I'd say... we're at about fifteen percent of our full power right now."

"F-fifteen percent?" Yamcha cried.

Goku nodded. "Yep!" he then turned to Chi-Chi. "You ready to head home then? I don't think Gero or Cell will try anything before this tournament, no reason to stay up here until then." Chi-Chi just nodded so Goku turned back to Gohan. "Alright kiddo, let's go home."

Gohan shook his head. "No, you and grandpa may be ready but I'm not." he said. "I can still get stronger before these Cell Games. I'm going to go in for another year."

Bardock shook his head. "It wouldn't do you any good either. You didn't push quite as hard as your father or I but you're still tapped out Gohan. Videl is too. You wouldn't do anything at this point but wear yourself out."

Gohan looked up at his grandfather and blinked. "But, I can get stronger still, I know I can!"

"Bardock's right." Goku said, putting his hand on Gohan's head. "We've done all we can for now."

"Well, now it's our turn." Tien said walking toward the building.

Vegeta snorted. "Like you'll be any help."

"He's right." Yamcha said with a frown. "The days of us being strong enough to help are long gone."

"Well you can stay out here if you want, I'm going in. There's no harm in trying." Tien said not stopping. Yamcha watched as Krillin and Radditz followed and then he, too, trailed after them as well.

"We have to be ready this time." Hotaru said after a moment of silence. "With no Dragonballs here we can't revive anyone now, and the Namek Dragonballs will be months re-charging. There's no way to evacuate the planet."

"Couldn't you just make new ones?" Gohan asked, looking up at Piccolo.

The Namek shook his head. "That wouldn't work. I could make them, sure, but with me being out there fighting the chance of me dying and the Dragonballs vanishing again..."

Goku crossed his arms and scrunched up his face in thought for a moment. "Oh, hey!" he cried, suddenly, a smile forming on his face. "Be back soon!" he called waving, as he placed two fingers on his forhead and then vanished.

"There he goes again." Appla said. "Now what's he up to?"

"No idea." Bardock replied.

Videl moved away from her father and over to where Sakura stood. "I was wondering..." she said after a moment. "Your clothes... their different colors but... they look like mine."

Sakura looked down at her and smiled. "Well, it is your fasion."

"M-mine?"

The Tanarian nodded. "In our time Gohan was like our big brother, and you were our big sister. As much as Trunks looked up to Gohan I looked up to you. Even took to wearing similar fasion after you... well..."

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Planet Namek:

Goku appeared on the edge of a lake of green water only a few yards from a Namek village. Finding his target hadn't been hard the first time, Parunga was fairly easy to pick out among the Kis of the Nameks. However, finding one Namek he barely knew amdist all the others wasn't as simple. The Nameks in the village turned to face him as soon as he appeared, all of them easily detecting his sudden arrival.

"Umm, is this Moray's village?" Goku asked, scratching the back of his head. One of the Nameks shook their head no. "Aw, which way?" The Namek pointed off to the northwest. "Ah, thanks!" Goku said waving and then vanishing again. A moment later he was in the middle of another village. This time he knew it was the right one, Moray was standing only a dozen yards away helping with the farming.

"Goku?" the elder asked turning to face the Sai-jin. "What is it? Has something happened?"

"You could say that. Piccolo and Kami merged earlier, so now we don't have any Dragonballs. Or a Guardian, for that matter."

"Oh, I see." Moray said in thought. After a moment he turned and looked toward one of the buildings. "Dende!" he called. 

Instantly the young Namek came out of the building. "What is it elder Moray?"

"It would seem the Earth is in need of a Guardian, and a new set of Dragonballs." Moray said. "Your training for creating Dragonballs is complete, and Azura has mentioned you would make a good Guardian. So, what do you say?"

"W-what? Me... Guardian of Earth?"

Moray nodded. "I'm sure Gohan would be happy to see you again as well."

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Earth, Lookout:

Videl lowered her head a little. "Oh."

"Cheer up, don't worry." Trunks said kneeling down beside her. "Things will go differently in this time, for sure."

Before she could reply Goku appeared again, and he wasn't alone. "Dende!" Gohan cried seeing the young Namek.

"Hi Gohan!" Dende said with a bow.

"Dende here has agreed to be our new Guardian." Goku explained smiling. "And he's going to create a new set of Dragonballs!"

"How long will that take?" Bardock asked.

"Well... about a year."

Goku blinked. "A... year? But, we don't have that long." he pouted.

"Oh, ya. Well, if you still have the model used for the original Dragon I could use that to restore the existing Dragonballs."

"I'll go get it." Piccolo said walking off. A few minutes later he returned with the model of Shenron and handed it over. Dende set it down on the floor and held his hands over it. Golden energy flowed from his palms and down through the glass over the model and into the stone of the Dragon.

As more energy flowed into it began to glow brightly, a pulsing energy that started to course along the glass as well. Seven small spikes that wrapped around the base of the model case began to glow as well, energy arcing around them. And then there was a bright flash and a bolt of light shot from each point surging off into the distance.

"There. It's done." he said, lowering his arms. "The Dragonballs have been restored."

"Alright!" Goku cried pumping a fist into the air. "Be right back!" And once more he vanished. He was only gone for a moment though and when he returned he had the Dragonballs with him. "I think, with Gero down there, these should be up here now, instead of at my place. Besides, this way, Dende can make the wish to evacuate if needed, without Cell noticing."

"Good idea." Piccolo said. "The last thing we need is one of them using the Dragonballs."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to go home and eat. I'm starving!" Goku said, holding his stomach. "And then I'm going to relax these next two weeks before the Tournamnet."

"Relax?" Vegeta huffed. "Ha, leave it to a third class to slack off."

Goku shrugged. "No reason to push it. We've trained as much as we can, any more would simply burn us out."

"Goku's right." Bardock said. "The four of us pushed ourselves pretty hard over the last year. We need these next two weeks to wind down, give our bodies time to recover." 


	25. The Cell Games Begin

Chapter Twenty-five - The Cell Games Begin 

Aside from Bulma, Hercule, Goku, Bardock, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Videl, and the two youngest children, everyone else had remained on the Lookout. Either taking turns in the RoSaT for training or sparring outside on the Lookout itself. Everyone was rather suprised by how relaxed and calm Goku and Bardock seemed. While most of them were training as hard as they could those two were relaxing.

At the moment the two powerful Sai-jins were doing just that, too. They were stretched out under the shade of a tree near Goku's house relaxing, a small table a few feet away with lemonade and snacks. "I don't get how you two can be so relaxed." Krillin said as he landed.

"Oh, hey, finished your training?" Goku asked looking toward his friend.

Krillin nodded. "Ya, and Yamcha was right, it really didn't make much difference. I'm a good bit stronger but it wont be enough, I don't even know if I'm going to go back in with the others later." The bald man shook his head. "I just don't get it Goku. You said it yourself, Cell's strong. Do you really think you can take him now?"

"We don't know." Bardock said, answering for his son. "We're not sure how strong he is exactly. Sakura told us what happened after his first transformation, how he'd been holding back his power at first. It's possible he is now too."

"No, not possible, likely." Goku interrupted. "I doubt this is all the stronger he is, as cocky as he is. It would be nice if it was, though. Bardock or I could take him out no sweat."

"You're that strong?" Krillin asked, wide-eyed.

"Sure." Goku replied nonchalantly. "I'm just worried about how much he's holding back. Sakura said he had been holding back over a third of his power before. He might be doing it again."

Bardock picked up from there. "If he is, well, it could be a problem."

"Then... why are you two so calm and relaxed? Why aren't you training?"

"There's no reason to." Goku responded. "Sure, we could go back in again, but the benefits wouldn't outweigh the problems."

"Goku and I have pushed our Super Sai-jin forms to the limits for now." Bardock explained. "That estimate of our powers yesterday was conservative... how to explain this? Think of... think of a sponge, full of water. You can only squeeze out so much water at a time, then you need to soak it again. Right now, we've squeezed out all the power our bodies can offer."

"I'd say we're at, what? Twenty times base?" Goku said.

"Bout that." Bardock answered, closing his eyes.

"So, ya, we max out at about nine times stronger than this."

"NINE TIMES?" Krillin cried, eyes wide as saucers. "B-but that's... that's..."

"Worthless." finished Bardock as he picked a weed and started to chew on the end. "The form's too bulky, too slow. Our muscles expand to... well, big. It's far too hard to move effectively, like that. And the strain on the body adds to that making the entire thing pointless. We can stay like this forever, we could barely keep that state for more than two hours before needing to revert to base to relax."

"Yup. So the training wouldn't help. We'd just be piling on more useless muscle mass, assuming we could even find any more energy to call out. Sure we'd increase the power of our normal Super Sai-jin forms too, but in the end it wouldn't be nearly as much or really useful either. With as much as we did last time our bodies are still recovering."

Krillin sighed and took a seat leaning back against the tree. "What about Gohan and Videl? I thought they were here with you guys?"

"Chi-Chi made lunch earlier, last I saw they were still eating." Bardock replied yawning. He glanced to his side at the sound of snoring and found Goku fast asleep.

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May 20th, Sai-jin Embassy:

"How far out is she?" Hotaru asked as she walked into the Space Command room. There was only a small skeleton crew on duty, most of the embassy employees were home with their families. With the temporal tears up around the Earth space traffic was... non-existant. Well, almost. Sango's ship was slated to arrive soon.

"Normally I'd say about five minutes. But since she can't land..." the tech said.

Hotaru nodded. She pushed her power up to make it easier for Sango to pick her out of the crowd. She knew how her friend intended to get to the planet, a feat only two people she knew could pull off. A second later the Tanarian was standing beside her smiling. "I knew you'd still be alive."

Hotaru smiled but shook her head. "You really shouldn't have come you know, it's dangerous."

Sango shrugged. "Offical business." she said, motioning to the pin. "Besides..."

"I know."

The other nodded. "So, how's Sakura anyway? The 3 year-old one, I mean." she added with a laugh.

Hotaru laughed as well as the two of them started their way through the halls of the Embassy. "She's good. Though I've recently found out she's going to be quite the handful..."

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May 24th, 11:52 AM:

The two weeks following Cell's announcement had been hectic, the world over. Looting and riots had sprung up in several cities, despite the Embassy and Earth Defense Force's best efforts to contain matters. Even though Gero wasn't technically in power at this point there were still a lot of scared people.

Everyone was currently gathered at the Son Home making the last minute preperations for the Cell Games. Despite protests from Gohan and Videl it was decided, mainly by Chi-Chi and Hercule, that the two of them wouldn't be going to the Cell Games. They, along with Bulma, Hercule, Chi-Chi, Sango, and Roshi would be remaining at the Son Home and watching the Cell Games via the galaxy wide broadcast that King Vegeta had set up.

"Be careful Goku." Chi-Chi said as he walked outside with the others.

"Don't worry, we can handle this, no problem." he said with a smile and wave. A moment later they were all in the air flying through the sky toward the ring that Cell had made two weeks before. They flew in silence toward the ring.

Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Sakura, and Hotaru all were in their normal attire. Bardock, Appla, Raditz, and Trunks were in the new formal armors. Grey body suits with red boots and gloves and black armor with red trim and purple straps and abdomen section. Vegeta was, once more, in the blue armor he'd worn on Planet Vegeta when fighting Cooler, only now he also had a blue body suit on underneath and he had removed the pendant and detatched the cape.

A moment later the tall spires of the ring came into view and the twelve of them descended, landing a few feet away from the edge of the ring, opposite the side where Gero, Tao, Super 13, and Cell stood. The four of them weren't the only ones there, either. A ring of Sentinels stood around the area the ring was in.

Thier four main opponents had watched them approach and land and now the sixteen people stood in silence, a strong, chill wind blowing passed them. Finally the silence was broken by Vegeta. "And why did you three come, anyway?" he asked with a laugh. "You couldn't hope to stand against us."

"It's called upgrades, Vegeta." Gero said, smirking. "I hadn't planned on installing any of them yet, they're untested. The plan was to finish testing them and install them in about ten years."

Sakura and Trunks glanced at each other, another piece of information they hadn't known about. The Androids they had been fighting in their time were apparently even stronger than the ones they'd fought so far. It was, however, Vegeta that once again spoke. "Ha, like it matters. Let's just get this over with."

Cell smirked. "Patience, Vegeta. I think we should do this the proper way. There are four of us, so four of you would make for an eight man tournament. You'll just have to decide who will be fighting. Goku is the only one among you who has to fight."

"I'm definitely fighting." Vegeta said, crossing his arms.

"I am as well." Sakura said.

Trunks was about to speak as well but felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Piccolo. "I'm in." the Namek said.

"And there we have it." Cell said smiling. "So then, who shall fight who in the first round, hmmm? I'll leave you to decide."

"Cell is mine." Vegeta said instantly, glaring at the others and daring them to contradict him.

"I have a fight to finish with Super 13." Sakura said.

"Upgrades or not I can take Tao." said Piccolo.

"Well, that leaves Gero for me then." Goku said with a shrug.

"Very well then." Cell said with a smile. "It is time to begin the Cell games! Match one is Piccolo Vs. Tao!" The Cyborg stepped up into the ring and the Namek followed suit, stopping near the center of the large area. "The rules are quite simple." Cell continued. "Touch anything outside the edges of the ring and you lose the match, get knocked out and you lose the match, die... and you lose the match. Unlike the Budokai there is no rule against killing here. Now, begin!"

Piccolo smirked and shot in instantly, his foot cracking the tile beneath it as he pushed off. As he charged in he removed his cape and turban, tossing them aside. A second later his fist impacted with Tao's face. The Cyborg, not expecting the sudden boost in the Namek's speed, was caught completely offguard and was knocked sailing away, quickly reaching the opposite end of the ring.

He spun about and backflipped at the same time as he flew, his leg snapping out and catching Piccolo across the jaw knocking him spinning. As he straightened out his own flight, an arm snapped out sending a stream of golden energy outward to slam into the Namek. The blast hit, exploded, and knocked Piccolo back down into the ring cracking the floor along the entire length his body skidded. Tao crashed down as a second later, only on his feet instead of back, and slid back a couple feet, his heels just sticking out over the edge of the ring.

"Most impressive." the Cyborg said, standing up and clasping his hands behind his back. "You're almost as powerful as I am, despite my upgrade. Still, you have no chance of defeating me, I still hold the advantage, in power and in stamina."

"Hmph. Like it matters." Piccolo said climbing back to his feet. "There's more to a battle than power. You may be stronger, and have unlimited energy, but your metal parts weigh you down, I'm faster. Plus..." he smirked as he took a fighting stance once more. "I've got more skill."

Tao tilted his head to either side, cracking his neck, and then slipped into a fighting stance once more as well. "In the end it wont matter, I'll still kill you." he said, before launching in toward his opponent. Piccolo followed suit and soon they were only feet apart. There was a loud crack as the right hooks they'd launched a second before smashed into each other. They floated there a moment, fists touching, arms pushing against each other, and then vanished.

There was a bright flash of white followed by a loud crack several yards above the ring. The others looked up to find Piccolo's left arm raised, his forearm holding back Tao's leg from his head. His right arm snapped out smashing into the Cyborg's gut doubling him over. A thunderous double-fisted blow to the back of his head sent him careening down into the ring smashing a hole into the left corner, just inside the edge.

"Man, they keep this up and there wont be a ring left for the rest of the fights." Krillin said wide-eyed. Yamcha just nodded as Tao shot back up into the air and the two warriors began swinging and dodging faster than he could follow, looking like nothing more than green, purple, pink, and silver blurs.

Tao managed to slip under a kick and then come up smashing his metal head into the Namek's chest stunning him for a moment. He took advantage of the opening and snapped out with a roundhouse to his face knocking him away. Instantly he shot after him, catching up and then passing him in only a few seconds. His fist lanced out and connected with a crack to his back.

He then vanished and reappeared in front of the other but Piccolo had already recovered and lashed out with his own kick smashing his foot into the side of Tao's neck before he'd even noticed him move. His arm then reached out and his hand gripped his head. With a growl he turned, whipped his arm up over his head and then down, stretching it out along the way, and smashed the Cyborg down into the ring floor.

The was a golden glow from his hand and then an explosion as he fired an energy blast point blank driving him down through the ring once more and several feet into the ground below it. His arm then retracted back up to where he floated and he grinned. Suddenly Tao was surging up at him again. The Cyborg launched a punch as he neared and smashed his fist into his abdomen stunning him once more.

He then fired off a rapid series of punches smashing them into his stomach driving him up higher and higher. After a moment he spun around above him and slammed his foot into the small of his back knocking him back down into the ring. He then pointed his arm down, his hand transfomring into a barrel. "Goodbye, Namek." he called, as a golden glow eminated from the opening in the barrel. "Super Dodon Ray!" There was a flash of gold and then a stream of energy surged down toward where Piccolo had just impacted.

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Son Home:

"We should be out there helping them!" Gohan nearly yelled, hands clenched into fists. "What was all that training for if we can't fight? It's not fair!"

"Your mom's just worried, and so is my dad." Videl said as she sat down on the edge of Gohan's bed. The two of them decided they'd watch the Cell Games from Gohan's room instead of the living room with the others. Gohan was still quite upset with his mother for not letting him go, and his fater too, for not telling her he could go.

He sighed. "I know. I just feel so useless now." He shook his head. "I don't like fighting, really, but... I don't want to just sit here while my friends are in danger."

Videl sighed as well as her eyes focused on the TV. Thanks to the hover cameras developed by Capsule Corp. using the Sai-jin versions as a base they had a rather good view of the area. Goku and the others had just arrived at the ring and Cell was going over matters. "I know how you feel, but we're supposed to stay here."

"Well, you can if you want." Gohan said, jumping off the bed. "I'm going to go help."

"Wait, Gohan." Videl called, grabbing his shoulder. "Don't go, not yet. Let's stay here, watch how things go. If we're there we might get in the way, your dad could get distracted if Cell came after us. Let's just wait for now, if things start to go badly we can get up there in only a couple of minutes and help. Plus, that way, we'll have the advantage too, a suprise attack."

Gohan stood there in silence for a moment and then nodded. "Ok Videl, we'll stay here for now." He moved back over to the bed and sat down again, both of the children then turned their attention to the screen in front of them. By this time Tao and Piccolo were both in the ring.

"Oh wow." Videl said, watching the fight. "The cameras are actually keeping up with them."

Gohan nodded. He'd not expected that either, even if they had been made specifically for watching battles at high speeds. He figured that, when Bulma had said that, she meant more along the lines of the powers usually seen during the Sai-jin games. He finally smiled again when, a moment later, Piccolo smashed Tao down into the ring. Then his fists tightened around the sheets of his bed as Tao countered. Suddenly he cheered. "Alright Mr. Piccolo!"

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Cell Games Ring:

Suddenly there was a blinding flash of green and a thunderous crack that echoed over the landscape for miles as Piccolo's energy encased fist slammed into the energy beam right over his head. The attack was reflected back, a shockwave flowing along its length as it was forced back up. Tao dodged off to the side at the last second just avoiding his own attack. He turned his eyes back down toward the ring again and found his opponent missing.

Before he had the chance to locate him a foot slammed into the top of his head knocking him back down toward the ring once more. His leg stretched along behind him and then drove his head down into and through the ring floor. As his leg came back up his arm reached up, his index and middle fingers touching his forhead, orange and golden energy sparking on his fingertips.

"I've had enough of you!" Tao yelled surging up toward him again a moment later.

"Same here!" Piccolo retorted. "Special Beam Cannon..." His arm snapped down, fingers aimed toward his charging opponent. "FIRE!" The spiraling beam of energy sped toward Tao at high speeds, the Cyborg started dodging to the side but thanks to his own upward momentum it was too little too late, the powerfull attack punched into and through shoulder, sparks flying out from the impact. A second later there was a loud explosion and Tao and his arm were blasted apart from each other.

The one armed Cyborg landed, right at the ring's edge, a scowl on his face. Straigtening up he turned his eyes skyward and his scowled deepened. Above him Piccolo was frowning as well. He'd intended to end the fight there. He may have taken Tao's arm but he doubted it affected the Cyborg's power. Meanwhile his had just taken quite the dip. There was only one option left.

The Namek smirked as he reached up and cracked his neck. "Looks like developing this new technique was time well spent." he said softly. He stayed where he was, letting his body relax and recover from his last attack. He was going to let Tao come to him, waste as little energy as possible, save it all for his attack. He ran his tongue along his lips, his fangs showing, as he smirked. This match was going to end with a bang.


	26. Ring Out?

Chapter Twenty-six - Ring Out?

Piccolo watched the Cyborg closely, not wanting to make a mistake at this point in the fight. He was rather curious as to why Tao had yet to make a move, it had been a full two minutes since the Cyborg had lost his arm and so far he'd done nothing but stand there, scowling, with sparks coming from his arm. And then he noticed that the actual exposed portion of his insides through the arm wasn't as big as it had been and was still shrinking. A layer of metal was growing over the damaged arm, sealing it away slowly. 

/Some sort of repair system./ he realized. /Not good enough to fix a missing arm but it could be a problem. I'll just have to make sure there's nothing left to fix when I'm done./ "Are you just going to stand there or are we going to fight?" he called down after a moment longer, the arm now sealed up.

"I thought I'd give you a fighting chance, let you recover a little." Tao replied. "Make things more interesting."

"Sure. Or maybe you're scared?"

"I don't get scared. Especially not from the likes of you." he tilted his head to either side popping his neck. "Very well then. If you are in a hurry to die I'll end this now." Tao pushed off and charged up toward Piccolo once more, his good arm pulling back and readying for a punch. The Namek smiled as his target neared, it was time to put an end to this fight. Just before Tao reached him he dropped down lower, spun around, snapped out his leg, and smashed his foot into the Cyborg's stomach. He then thrust his right arm forward slamming his open palm into Tao's chest knocking him sailing away.

Pulling his arms back he let out a growl, his green aura flaring up brightly. His hands clenched into fists and started glowing. Gold and blue energy started to circle around his left hand while red and black circled around his right. His smirk grew as the attack formed. Having a connection to the Otherworld had it's combat applications, even if it was a severed connection. "Time to put an end to this fight!" he called, as Tao recovered from his attacks.

"Heaven's Gate!" He cried spinning around in a clockwise circle and then thrusting out his left arm, the golden and blue energy around his hand swelled to eight feet in diameter and shot across the way toward Tao. The energy arced out and hooked back in surging toward the Cyborg. The mercenary shot up into the air higher in order to dodge but the energy changed course and followed, gaining quickly. Finally he stopped and thrust his arm down intending to catch the attack. Only, it passed right along his arm and soon he was in the center of the ball of energy.

Piccolo grinned, spun the other way, and thrust out his right arm. "Hell's Gate!" he roared. The blast didn't expand like the last, simply surged toward the encased Tao. It slammed into the other energy a second later and the entire thing flashed as the four colors swirled around. The powerful Namek held his arms out, palms open, and smirked. "And now it ends. Judgement!" he cried, hands clasping shut.

The clouds above Tao swirled around rapidly and started getting pulled down toward the energy, the rocks below him and even a few of the Sentinels lifted up into the air. And then the energy flashed, the pull from the attack switched rapidly into an outward rush of force. A thunderous roar sounded, the planet shook, and then it all reversed once more, for a split second, and then it was gone. Not a trace remained of Tao or two of the six Sentinels that had been pulled up into the air.

Piccolo dropped down to where his cape and turban had landed when he tossed them and picked them back up again before joining the others once more. "I believe it's time to start the next match." he said, looking over to Cell.

"Impressive, but it wont be enough to win." Gero said, walking into the ring. His eyes turned from Piccolo to his opponent, Goku, who was just stepping up into the ring as well. "At last, I get to fight you myself. Revenge always is sweeter when done in person. By the time this fight is over this ring will be covered in your blood."

"I doubt it. This is just going to be a warm-up for me." Goku said smiling, as he took his fighting stance.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you are weaker than Piccolo now. I, on the other hand, am about twice his power."

"Begin!" Cell called.

Suddenly Gero launched across the few feet of ring between him and Goku. His fist smashed into the Sai-jin's face with a crack knocking him back and away. But the powerful warrior pulled to a stop after only a couple of feet, his aura flaring up around him in a flash and his power jumping up rapidly. A moment later his aura faded a little as he relaxed again, finishing with his power up. Now Goku was more than twice the power of Piccolo as well, which should put him on an even footing with Gero.

Goku grinned at the shocked expression on Gero's face, and then he shot in toward the doctor, pulling his fist back. With a cry he launched his punch but just before it hit the other's face Gero's arm came up and blocked it. The Super Sai-jin didn't slow as he pulled back a little and then snapped out a spinning kick.

Gero caught his leg with his other hand and then fired off a punch of his own smashing it into Goku's stomach. The Z Figther recoiled slightly from the blow but shrugged it off and smashed the knee of his free leg into Gero's chin knocking him into the sky and breaking the Cyborg's hold on his leg. Goku spun the opposite way of before and snapped out his other leg smashing it into the side of Gero's head.

The doctor rocketed away through one of the ring's pillars shattering the middle of it and bringing the top half crashing down. Flipping around in the sky a second later, he raised his arms and held them out toward Goku. "Impressive indeed." he called smiling. "However, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Or should I say, in my body!" 

Suddenly his palms opened and red glass like surface emerged. His black hat fell toward the ground revealing a similar surface covering the entire top of his head. Lines of the red material reached down from the top of his head and merged in with his eyes which turned red as well. Clenching his fists he pulled back his arms and smirked.

"Wha, what the?" Goku wondered, eyes widening slightly as he saw twinkling lights drifting into Gero's body where the red surfaces were present.

"For Tao and Super 13 the upgrades consisted of improved Power Cores and Energy Units." Gero said. "Nothing more than improved power. I, however, have an entirely new body. It's still a prototype, unfinished even, but more than enough to deal with you. So, let's get this over with Goku, it is time for you to die!" With that he thrust his arms forward suddenly, his palms snapping open again, and red energy shot forth toward Goku.

The Sai-jin cried out in shock and thrust his arms out at the last second catching the blast. Over the top of the energy he saw a flash from Gero and looked. "No way! He's absorbing energy directly from the air!"

"And adding it to my own!" Gero called laughing. "There is no limit to the amount of power I can pump into a single attack like this! You will be incinerated!"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Son Home:

"This is amazing..." Sango said softly as she felt Goku's power increase.

Roshi nodded. "It's hard to believe I was once stronger than him." He took off his sunglasses and started cleaning one of the lenses with his shirt. "Goku will be the one to defeat Cell if any of them does. You can be sure of that. If he can't do it..."

"He will." Chi-Chi interrupted quickly. "He has to."

Bulma reached over and rested a hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder. "Don't worry, he will. Goku's never lost when it's really counted."

Roshi slipped his glasses back on and kept his face as blank as he could. He wasn't sure that even Goku could win this one. It wasn't Gero he was worried about Goku losing to, even now that the doctor had just unleashed an amazing attack and even gone through a small transformation of his own. It was Cell. He knew Goku would give it his all but he wasn't sure that that would be enough this time.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Cell Games Ring:

Goku scowled as Gero made his declaration. He doubted the validity of it, that he could really channel an unlimited amount of energy into a single attack. Everything had it's limits. He just wasn't sure he wanted to find out just how high Gero's limit was. Best to end this match quickly instead of using it to warm up his muscles for later, as he'd planned.

"Not going to happen!" he called. Suddenly he vanished, the energy wave speeding off into the distance. Gero ended the attack and started to move to look around for some sign of Goku. However, he didn't get the chance to begin his search. There was a loud crack as Goku's fist punched through the doctor's back and out his chest, sparks showering from the hole.

It only took the Cyborg a moment to recover from the shock and then he jammed his elbow into Goku's stomach. The powerful Sai-jin was knocked back, his arm pulled free of Gero's body, by the suprise blow. The damaged Cyborg then turned to face Goku again, a scowl on his face. "This is impossible! Your power is impressive, I'll admit, but there's no way you could damage me like this!"

"I'm not done yet." Goku replied evenly. There was a flash of gold as he surged in at Gero once more. Nearing the doctor he spun around and snapped out his leg. His heel smashed into the side of the Cyborg's head and then broke clear through, completely shattering it. The headless body floated there for a moment longer before falling to the ring floor. Goku closed his eyes as it hit the ground and just floated there, his power dropping back down to its resting level once more.

"Well now, I'm impressed. We may actually have a tournament now after all." Cell said clapping slowly. "13, it's your turn. And get that trash out of my ring, would you?"

13 walked up into the ring as Goku floated down to join the others again. The Android gave the broken mechanical body a hard kick and knocked it several yards away. Meanwhile Sakura made her way up into the ring. The blue machine smirked. "I've been waiting to finish our fight."

"So have I." she replied, an orange glow forming around her body. A second later she was hidden from view by the glow which then shattered apart like glass revealing that she was, once again, in her second transformation. "I'm not going to bother with a warm-up. My first attack will turn you into scrap."

"Doubtful." the Android replied. "But I will have fun ripping you apart."

"Begin!" Cell called once again.

Sakura smirked and started to brace herself but 13 was already on the move. Before Sakura had the chance to do anything she had a gloved fist smashing into her face. The blow knocked her sailing away right over the other Z Fighters. The Android shot after her instantly and quickly passed her, slipped below her, and then jammed its knee up into her back knocking her skyward.

After going a couple hundred feet she managed to flip herself around and pull to a stop. Her body hurt like hell already but she knew it could be worse. The machine was holding back, toying with her. That would be its last mistake. Just before it reached her again she called out. "Sanjuu Kinryoku!" In a flash of silver the attack flared up around her, her power jumped through the roof as her muscles bulged slightly in an effort to contain her new strength.

There was a flash of blue and a loud crack as 13's fist was caught by her hand. Her other hand reached out and she held her palm only a couple inches from the machine's head. "Like I said, my first attack will turn you into scrap. Final Blaster!" There was a sudden spark of red from her hand and then a stream of energy surged out and incinerated everything from the middle of its chest up.

What was left of the Android's body fell to the ground beyond the edge of the ring with a thud. Sakura's aura sputtered and then vanished. The whole exchange had happened so fast that no one was quite sure just how much power she'd put out but Vegeta still had a scowl on his face. The others had more of a shocked look on their faces, including Cell.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Son Home:

"See Gohan!" Videl said happily. "They'll win, no problem!" The two kids had just watched Goku easily dispatch Gero. "There's no way your dad could lose!"

Gohan nodded lightly but didn't really mean it. He still wasn't convinced. He'd need to see just how strong Cell was first. The fact that neither his dad or his grandpa were sure they could win was what had him so cautious. Even on Namek, despite their circumstances, he could tell his father was sure of himself, sure he could handle the situation, sure he could win.

During the fight with Slug too, his grandpa had the same air to him. Especially after their escape from captivity. Even though everything had been stacked against them in those two battles, everything said that they should lose, they had won. And in both cases, his father and grandfather had been sure they could win. Now, they weren't. Now, even they were worried. That wasn't a good sign to the young half Sai-jin.

"I hope so." he said softly.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Cell Games Ring:

As the half Tanarian touched down with the others once more Vegeta turned his attentions from her to his opponent. Still with his arms crossed he walked up into the ring. "Alright Cell, let's go!" he called. "Now it's your turn to be destroyed."

"So then, I am the last of the Red Ribbon Army." Cell said as he stepped up into the ring. "Unfortunately for you, Vegeta, I am also the greatest."

"And unfortunately for you my power is unsurpassed." the Sai-jin Prince said with a smirk. The ring floor beneath his feet cracked and then collapsed a few inches. A second later there was a flash of gold as he transformed. "So, let's get this started, shall we?"

Cell grinned. "By all means Vegeta, let's go. The sooner I've finished with you the sooner I can get to the real competition."

There was a flash of gold as Vegeta launched forward, uncrossing his arms as he flew. Cell's eyes widened slightly at the Sai-jin's speed. The Prince reached his opponent a moment later and lashed out with a powerful kick aimed for the creature's side. Cell managed to slip it and slam his open fist into Vegeta's chest knocking him back.

The creature then snapped out a kick but the powerful Sai-jin had his arm up in time to deflect it. He then countered with a punch for Cell's abdomen but the last member of the Red Ribbon Army was ready for it and moved backward quickly, the punch catching nothing but air. It was obvious to the others that the two warriors in the ring were evenly matched.

It was a fact that Trunks didn't like. He knew his father had surpassed his power, and that he was currently at full strength. He also was of the same opinion as Goku and Bardock, Cell was holding back. The half Sai-jin glanced over to the two powerful warriors. So far this 'tournament' had gone considerably in their favor. He just hoped that, when it came time, Goku could make sure it stayed that way.

His attention was pulled back to the ring once more by a resounding crack. Cell now had hold of Vegeta's fists, the crack had been the two of them smashing heads against each other. Vegeta pulled his head back again, followed by Cell, and then they smashed into each other again. The Prince pulled his head back again but it was only a feint. There was a sudden flash of gold from his hands followed by dual explosions.

Cell jerked back with a cry and Vegeta smirked. The creature was now missing both hands, from mid forearm down. "Here, let me give you hand!" the prince said surging forward and smashing his knee up into Cell's abdomen. He then spun and snapped out his leg smashing it into Cell's head and knocking him away.

Vegeta vanished and then appeared again in front of the flying creature. With a cry he thrust his arms forward and a wave of gold energy shot forth. The stream engulfed Cell for several moments before fading, Vegeta's smirk even bigger than before. However, it faded as soon as he saw his opponent again. Cell had managed to pull himself to a stop and bring his arms up to guard.

Lowering his arms Cell scowled at Vegeta. The forearms and hand sprung out once more and the scowl faded away into a smile. "Well, Vegeta, I'm impressed." he said, crossing his arms. "I didn't think you'd even give me a challenge at this level."

"Oh, I'll do more than that."

Cell laughed. "Please, you couldn't hurt me if you tried. Not really."

"I'd say your arms say differently."

The creature shook his head. "I have them back, don't I? To me, that kind of injury is nothing more than a flesh wound."

"Let's just cut the crap. We both know you're not at full power, so let's see it!"

"Vegeta, really, are you that anxious to die?"

"You're the one that will be dead after this fight."

"We shall see." Cell uncrossed his arms and shot forward once more. Vegeta was ready for him and brought his arms up blocking the flurry of punches from the other. He countered with a kick of his own but it was easily dodged. Cell then launched his own counter, backhanding Vegeta on the side of the head.

Piccolo growled as he watched the fight. "Cell's powered up a little."

Goku nodded. "Ya. The speed and power boost will give him the edge."

Vegeta shot up skyward as Cell suddenly fired a volley of Ki blasts at him. The attacks all missed slamming into the ground and exploding, covering the entire area in dust and obscuring both fighters from view. A second later there were a series of cracks and flashes of gold from within the dust and a breeze rushed out from the center of the cloud blowing it away.

Cell and Vegeta floated a good fifty feet above the ground, several yards beyond the edge of the ring now, trading blows with each other furiously. Cell was blocking most of Vegeta's attacks but a few still hit him dead on. The Sai-jin was having a bit of trouble doing the same just barely blocking or dodging incoming attacks with several at least grazing him.

A series of loud sounds like thunder resounded a moment later as Vegeta managed to slip around Cell's defenses and land a furious combo on the other. Three punches to his chest, a knee to the stomach, two kicks to the head, a kick to the chest, an uppercut, and then an elbow to the back that slammed the Bio-droid face first into the ground. Outside the ring. 


	27. A Change of Rules

Chapter Twenty-seven - A Change of Rules

Vegeta floated down and landed with a soft click at the edge of the ring facing Cell who was just now pulling himself up out of the ground. He once again he had his arms crossed and his aura had vanished but he was still powered-up. "Looks like you just lost." he said with a smirk. "According to your own rules."

The Biodroid was on his feet again and turned to face Vegeta once more. "I suppose I have." he lifted slowly up into the air several feet and held out a hand charging energy in front of is palm. "This ring is too small. It's time to revise the rules." The ball of blue energy surged down and impacted the center of the ring before exploding and destroying it.

As the dust and debris settled it showed that Vegeta hadn't moved from where he stood. The piece of ring he'd been standing on was all that was left of it. "So, no ringouts then, eh?" Vegeta asked, smirking.

"No Cell Games." Cell replied. "I think I'll change this to my own version of..." Suddenly he smirked. "Yes, that will work nicely. I think it's time to revive an ancient tradition Vegeta. What do you say?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he called up.

"Just a new set of rules. The same ones used in the Zetsumei Taikai."

Vegeta's eyes widened and his jaw slackened. "How do you..."

"Know about the Zetsumei Taikai?" Cell asked, smirking. "You forget, Vegeta, I have your memories up here." he said, tapping his head. "Well, the "you" of another time-line, but still you. And he knew of the Zetsumei Taikai. It's nice to know I wont have to explain it to you."

Goku looked over to Appla, who also had a shocked look on her face. "What's the Zatsum Taki?"

"Zetsumei Taikai." she corrected. "An old tradition from before the unification of Planet Vegeta, when the world was still known as Saiya. It was a common tradition that most nations followed. The line of royal succession wasn't determined by bloodline but power. When the King of a nation was dying, or had already died, those seeking to rule the nation, sometimes even those of other nations, would come to the palace.

"They would have two weeks to make the journey from the time of the announcement until the Zetsumei Taikai began. It was a tournament, a battle to the death between all those who wanted to rule the nation. The winner would be declared King, ruler of the nation. After the unification of the planet and it's renaming, the King of the time declared an end to the Zetsumei Taikai as a means of deciding rule. 

"However, it was still held upon the death of a King for hundreds of years, as a celebration of their life. About a hundred years ago Prince Vegeta's grandfather decided to end the Zetsumei Taikai deciding that, instead of celebrating the life of their King upon their death, it would be better to celebrate the might of the warrior every few years. That was the start of the Sai-jin Games."

"That's a bit different than how I know it." Cell said. "In the time-line I am from the Zetsumei Taikai didn't end until Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta nearly wiping out all Sai-jins. So, Vegeta, shall we continue?"

"Cell Games, Zetsumei Taikai, it doesn't matter what you call it, you'll still end up dead in the end."

Cell smirked. "I'll take that as a yes." Suddenly Cell vanished appearing a second later right in front of the Sai-jin Prince. His fist shot out and smashed into Vegeta's chest with a loud crack, the Prince's eyes and mouth widened in pain. Just from the sound of it Bardock could tell that one of the Sai-jin's ribs and been, at least partly, cracked in the blow.

However, Vegeta shrugged it off quickly and dodged the biodroid's next attack before dropping low and sweeping his leg out taking Cell off of his feet. Quickly he lifted into the air over the other and then snapped his leg down smashing it into his opponent's stomach and smashing him into the ground where the ring had once been.

The Earth cracked beneath his impact and Vegeta used the force to push himself up higher. Purple energy flared up around his hands and he began to fire a volley of energy blasts down at the prone warrior. Each blast pushed him higher, Cell deeper, and sent debris flying about for hundreds of yards. A bubble of purple energy began forming over the attack point as the blasts built up on each other. 

After several moments he pulled his arms back, charged golden energy in each hand, and then thrust his arms down together firing a much larger blast then the previous had been. It punched through the bubble of energy causing it to swell a moment later. And then it exploded savagely, a purple collumn of energy laced with gold shooting into the sky and reaching all the way up to the temporal tears before vanishing.

The collumn faded away slowly and then vanished, the glare going a second later. The force of the explosion had blasted away all the dust in the air giving them a clear view of the crater Vegeta's attack had created. It was at least thirty yards across and considerably deep, the bottom lost in pitch black shadow.

Vegeta floated where he was panting lightly. He'd put more into that assault than any previous. The power-up Cell had made earlier deemed it necessary. He wasn't drained, per se, he did still have a considerable amount of power, but the decline would put him at more than a slight disadvantage in the fight, even had Cell not boosted his own strength earlier.

The Sai-jin cursed under his breath as his mind focused and he sensed Cell laying at the bottom of the crater, no worse for wear. He drifted back quickly and dropped to the ground. His legs spread apart to increase his balance and he held his arms out. His golden aura flared up massively around him and then twin balls of golden energy formed around his hands.

He could already feel Cell drifting up from below, lifting higher and higher. He was moving at his own pace, taking his time, which irked the Sai-jin Prince. It was obvious his opponent didn't even consider him the slightest threat. However, even as slow as Cell was nearing him, he'd never have the time to charge his attack enough to kill him. Suddenly he smirked as an idea hit him.

He brought his arms together quickly and merged the orbs of energy. With a cry, his already vibrant aura flared up even more. The muscles along his arms and legs began to ripple and expand, his power building. His hair stiffened and grew slightly, his armor expanding with his mucles, a wind flaring up around his body.

"So, he's going to use his full power form." Bardock said.

"But... why?" Trunks wondered. "It's too slow."

Even over his own cries and the sound of his power around him, Vegeta picked up the conversation, though just barely. Trunks had a point, his full power form was considerably slow. It would have been enough, at the start, to destroy Cell with ease. Power-wise at least. But it was too slow, he never would have caught his opponent. The speed Cell had displayed was proof enough of that.

However, the form did have its uses. His cries died down as he smirked, his muscles finally stopping their expansion. For the power boost, added energy to an attack, and faster charge time, the form was an exceptional asset. Without it he doubted he could have mustered an attack that would have budged Cell. With it, he would obliterate him!

His eyes narrowed as the other's head broke the surface of the crater. He'd hoped for another few moments to charge his attack, the golden energy pulsing madly before his outstretched arms and cupped hands. Still, he had no doubt the attack would be effective. "Time to die Cell! Super Final Flash!" he roared.

The force of the blast pushed Vegeta back a dozen yards, his feet digging out trenches in the Earth as he tried to hold himself in place. The rush of power washed out from him and the wave blowing dust and rocks away. As the force reached the Z Fighters it slid them all back a few feet.

"Ungh, no way!" Piccolo cried trying to keep his footing. Krillin was blown over and started grasping at the ground trying to find something to hold on to. Yamcha and Tien had already dug their feet into the ground in an attempt to keep their footing. Piccolo glanced back at the others and growled, a green glow forming around him. 

Turning back to face the rush of power he thrust his arms out putting up a barrier between him and them and holding back as much of the force as he could. Feeling a power flare up beside him he looked over and saw Trunks, in Super Sai-jin, with his arms out as well helping with the barrier.

Meanwhile Cell's eyes were wide in shock as he stared at the attack only feet away. A second later the energy reached him and swelled before continuing on its way. The entire planet shook under the force of the attack, the shockwaves emanating from it washed out for hundreds of miles blowing even those in Capital City off of their feet.

Vegeta continued to fuel the attack for nearly a minute before the golden wave of energy began to shrink away. As did his bulk. His muscles shrank away rapidly, his hair reducing in size as well. The color of his hair faded away as it shifted to black once more. Now that the attack had ended they could all feel that his power had declined massively.

The dust settled slowly, no breeze to blow it away. As it fell to the ground it revealed Vegeta standing on wobbly legs, his arms hanging at his sides. He was panting heavily from the exertion, sweat running down his face. "Good... riddance." he breathed. "Freak." Suddenly his eyes snapped open. "N-no way!"

Everyone on the sidelines turned their attention from Vegeta toward what he saw. It took a moment for them to make out the dot that floated several yards away. All that remained of Cell was his head. And it did not look happy. Lumps of flesh started pushing down the base of his neck and then a spine shot down, ribs sprouting from it a second later. Then the exoskeletal chestplate formed.

A second later his entire torso was back to normal. Fully formed arms sprouted, first the left and then the right. Next came his legs. In less than ten seconds Cell had gone from just a head to perfect condition. And not just physically. His power was at the same level it had been prior to the attack.

Cell's sour look faded away into a smirk. "Poor Vegeta. All that power, all that effort, and for what? Your efforts were for naught." Cell floated down the few feet to the ground and landed gently, his power lowering to where it had been at the start of the fight. "Well, not entirely for nothing. You did give me the victory, after all."

"Why... you..." Vegeta growled. "I may not... have been able... to defeat... you. However, after an attack... like that your... power is going to... have taken a... hit too."

Cell's smirk turned into a grin and then he started laughing. "Poor deluded Vegeta. All you achieved was draining your own power and ensuring my victory, and your death. Before I became Perfect you would have been right. Recovering from such an attack would certainly have made a substantial difference in power. However..."

"However what?" Vegeta demanded, standing up straight again, some of his fatigue drifting away.

"However, I now possess unlimited energy. Thanks to the power cores I absorbed from 17 and 18. Granted, it takes a moment for the Proton conversion to turn the energy into Ki, but I will never run out of power. I will not grow tired. I will not be weakend by attacks or exertion. In short, Vegeta, you never stood a chance."

Vegeta didn't get the chance to respond. Before he could even start his reply Cell had crossed the expanse between them and smashed an open fist into his chest. A series of cracks resounded across the blasted landscape, audible indicators of the injuries he'd just received. The Sai-jin Prince fell to the ground a dozen yards from where he started, his ribs shattered, each broken in at least two places.

"Do you see?" Cell asked landing beside the fallen Prince. He had his arm out, palm aimed down at the Sai-jin, blue energy gathering. "I am the ultimate warrior, the greatest power in the universe. And you... you are nothing."

Another thunderous crack rang out and Cell was knocked flying off at high speed. As a streak of silver shot after him, Vegeta saw Trunks land beside him. The half Sai-jin knelt down and the Prince soon realized what he was doing. Closing his eyes he painfully swallowed the bean and a moment later was back on his feet, his body healed. Turning he looked off toward where Cell and the silver streak had gone.

Sakura had reached and overtaken Cell after her first kick to his head rather quickly. As soon as she did, she snapped out another kick that knocked him off in another direction and down into the ground. He slid a good two hundred yards before finally coming to a stop only a short distance from the others. The powerful half Tanarian reached them a moment later and landed as Cell climbed back to his feet.

"I believe I was next to fight you." She said. "So, let's get going."

Cell reached up and wiped a little blood off his chin. "Impressive. You're even more powerful than Vegeta. Still, you can't defeat me."

"I can and I will." she replied, slipping into a fighting stance. "No matter what it takes I will kill you. I will save this time from the hell that is the future I come from. No matter what."

"Well, you talk the talk well enough." Cell said smirking. "Let's see if you can back it up." With that Cell launched in at Sakura, his power climbing up to almost match hers as he did. He cocked back a fist as he flew. Reaching his target he launched a punch for her face but her arm came up and deflected the blow. She then countered with a left punch of her own but Cell managed to dodge it.

He retaliated with a knee to her stomach and then backhanded her. Using the momentum from being spun about, Sakura snapped out a kick to the side of Cell's head. The two broke apart for a moment and then charged in at each other again. A series of bright flashes and thunderous cracks sounded as they exchanged blows again. After a moment Sakura brought her right knee up into Cell's stomach, then her left. Pulling back a little she snapped her leg up smashing her foot into his chin.

Cell shot skyward and the powerful half Tanarian followed. She passed him quickly and then jammed her elbow down into the top of his head knocking him down again. With a cry she smashed her foot into his back and slammed him down into the ground. Dropping rapidly she tried to slam down into him but he pushed off and launched backward at the last second, her feet smashing into the ground instead, up to her knees.

Before she could recover Cell's foot smashed into the back of her head knocking her forward. Recovering, she spun around to attack him but he was gone. And then his fist slammed into the side of her head followed by a kick to her side. Her eyes and mouth snapped wide in pain. She lashed out with a backhand toward Cell's location but he was gone again.

This time he reappeared right in front of her. His hands grabbed her head and he slammed her face into his knee and followed that up with a spinning kick to her chest. The blow knocked her over onto her back and Cell brought the heel of his left foot down into her abdomen. Moving back half a step he then swung out his right foot smashing it into her head and kicking her a few dozen yards like a soccer ball.

Trunks gritted his teeth, his gloved hands clenching into fists. "I don't get it..." he said, watching the fight as best he could. "They're almost even in power... Cell's is actually a little lower than Sakura's. So, why is she having so much trouble? How's he beating her so easily?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know." Bardock said. "She's got a lot of skill, she's not making any mistakes. It's like... it's almost as though Cell is able to predict her attacks, like he knows what she's thinking."

"That's it!" Hotaru cried. "He does know what she's going to do!" The others glanced toward her as she spoke. "Remember what Cell told Vegeta? That he has his memories?"

"Ya, the Vegeta from the other time-line." Goku said. "But... I thought that Sakura wasn't in that time-line?"

"She's not." Piccolo said, frowning. He knew what Hotaru was thinking. "But before Cell absorbed 18 he also absorbed some of Sakura's energy and DNA. And along with it, her memories and knowledge. Unless she developed a new style her last trip into the Room of Spirit and Time he knows exactly how she fights. He knows what she's likely to do in a situation and can react accordingly."

Trunks growled. "Damn it!"

Sakura hit the ground from the kick, bounced a few more yards, landed again, and rolled a few more feet, before coming to a stop facedown. She pulled herself up to her hands and knees with a groan and stayed that way for a moment, catching her breath. Just as she started climbing to her feet again Cell charged across the expanse toward her and slammed his foot into her gut again knocking her another twenty yards away.

Coming down she hit the ground hard and slid a good five yards before stopping. Her aura sputtered for a moment but then came back again. Cell reached her location a moment later and thrust his foot down for her head. Seeing it at the last second she managed to just roll out of the way. Spinning and then backfliping into an upright position she plowed her feet into his chin in the process.

As she landed on her feet once more she thrust her arms forward, silver energy flashed and then blasted out slamming into Cell hard and knocking him sailing backward. Quickly she shot after him, her silver aura flaring up brightly and the ground shattering beneath her feet. Reaching Cell she pulled back her fist to launch an attack but his knee suddenly surged up and slammed into her abdomen catching her completely off guard.

Before she could recover, Cell reached up and grabbed her shoulders. Spinning over he put her between him and the ground and then dropped down slamming her into the Earth and pushing her along through the dirt and rock digging out a trench. They'd gone nearly a hundred yards before Sakura managed a counter. Her eyes flashed and Cell was knocked skyward yet again.

Vegeta shook his head. "She's lost a small chunk of her power. More than enough to give Cell the advantage. Blast him, what does it take to kill this freak?"

"This fight's not over yet." Trunks said. "Not by a long shot." 


	28. Sakura's Stand

A/N: Brutal2003, the fighting style knowledge is far more applicable to Sakura than the others. His knowledge of the others is limited to that of the other time-line (different experiences lead to different styles and thought processes). So it would give him an edge but not as much as it did on Sakura.

Chapter Twenty-eight - Sakura's Stand

Son Home, Living Room:

Bulma had been practically holding her breath the entire time Vegeta had been fighting. When Cell had landed outside the ring she'd sighed in relief, hoping it was finally over. But that was not to be. "What do you think Sango?" she asked as Vegeta had started powering up his attack. "Tell me the truth... can he win?"

Sango stayed silent for moment and then shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Their powers are... amazing. Vegeta's maxed out but Cell seems to only be warming up still. Maybe... if he can do it with this attack, then yes, he can win. But... if not..."

Bulma looked down at the baby Trunks she held in her arms. "Come on Vegeta... I don't want to lose you." she said softly, her eyes going back to the screen again.

Bulma wasn't the only one on edge. In fact, the only calm ones in the house were the two youngest children. Trunks and Sakura weren't old enough to understand what was happening. Sakura was close, she could tell something was bothering the others, but not what.

Roshi kept shifting his senses from the fight to the two half Sai-jins up stairs. He had a feeling Gohan wouldn't stay put if he saw his father losing when Goku's turn came. Turning his sense that way once again he felt Gohan pacing slowly above them, his power making small pops and shifts. /He's not a fighter but he's still wishing he was out there./ Roshi thought, the video from the tv reflecting on his sunglasses.

The aged Master's calm appearance changed suddenly as he cried out. The others doing the same as they all fell over, the force of Vegeta's just unleashed attack knocking them over. Bulma managed to turn as she fell and land on her back protecting baby Trunks. Chi-Chi pulled the young Sakura over to her and held her to comfort the child.

As the shaking died away they pulled themselves to their feet again and righted the chairs they'd been sitting in. Bulma tried her best to quiet the now crying Trunks and Chi-Chi worked at comforting Sakura who was clinging tightly to her.

Sango's eyes widened, her senses catching it before the TV did. "No way in hell! He... he survived!" The others glanced at her and then turned their attention back to the TV which was now showing the regenerating Cell. As soon as Cell started his attack again Bulma closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"Haha! Way to go girl!" Roshi cheered, pumping a fist into the air. Bulma looked up again just in time to see Trunks kneel over Vegeta before the image changed to Sakura chasing Cell.

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Son Home, Gohan's Room:

"No! Vegeta almost had him!" Videl cried, slamming her hands down against the bed. The metal frame squealed in protest at the force and then cracked, the bed falling to the ground. Gohan only gave her a quick glance before turning his attention back to the TV. Sakura had just saved Vegeta and was now fighting with Cell. It only took a moment for the momentum of the battle to shift decidedly in Cell's favor.

Gohan started pacing back and forth beside his window again. It was already open and he and Videl were already dressed. He'd gone into the hall shortly after Vegeta had started fighting and pulled the box out of the hall closet. Both him and Videl had then donned the Sai-jin armor like that worn by his grandpa, grandma, uncle, and Trunks.

He was waiting for any sign of trouble, any reason to go charging out there. Videl had calmed him a few times, stopped him from taking off. "Sakura's amazing." she said after a moment. Gohan nodded. He could sense it, Sakura's power was higher than any other out there so far. It was amazing. Still, Cell was dominating.

"We should be there!" Gohan said leaning back against the wall, frowning.

Videl looked over at him and then suddenly started giggling. Gohan's frown turned into a confused look as he looked over to her. She shook her head. "Sorry, you just... looked like Vegeta." she laughed. Gohan stayed silent for a moment and then cracked up as well but he stopped a moment later as Sakura's power shot through the roof.

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Cell Games Ring:

"Give up girl, you don't have any more chance against me than Vegeta did." Cell said, crossing his arms as he pulled to a stop from her last attack.

She pulled herself up out of the trench she was in and shook her head. "I don't give up." she replied. "I came back here to make a better future for those I care about and that is what I'm going to do." She launched up into the air toward him and fired off a hard right hook but he dodged it easily. She followed up with a left kick but he slipped around that as well.

"You can't expect to hit me like that." Cell laughed. "Come on, give me a challenge."

"You want a challenge? Alright, fine." Her aura flickered a little as she braced her body. "Yottsu Kinryoku!" she cried. Her silver aura flared up massively as her power jumped, the ground a few feet below her cracking and collapsing down from the force. When the glare faded and they could see her again they could all see the strain on her body from the move clearly.

Her muscles had nearly doubled in size making her look rather disproportionate. With a crack of power she surged in at Cell and smashed a fist into his face. He was caught completely off guard by the attack and knocked backward. Sakura surged after him and slammed her knee hard into his stomach and then followed up with a kick to his right side, open palm to the chest, a backhand, fist to the gut, and then she spun around behind him and smashed her knee into his back driving him down.

She disappeared and then re-appeared below him thrusting both feet up into the air and smashing them into him. One in his gut and the other his chest. She floated there like that for a split second and then started kicking her feet back and forth slamming them into Cell repeatedly and driving him back up higher and higher into the air.

Those on the ground watched as she suddenly vanished once more. Cell's body began jerking around one way and then the other as she attacked him at high speeds, moving around him rapidly, not giving him the time to recover. "That's... amazing." Hotaru breated. Her senses were barely keeping up with what was happening, her daughter was moving so fast she couldn't even see the blur of her motions.

"Her power's draining fast though." Vegeta replied, a scowl on his face. "Faster than she's using it up."

Trunks nodded. "Ya. Her body can't handle the power." he said softly. "Using the Kinryoku at this level is overloading her... she can't keep this up for long or..." The others all looked at him, worry on all of their faces, even Vegeta's. Trunks took a deep breath and looked up at where Sakura was still attacking. "Come on, you can do it."

Sakura felt it as she went. Her power was going down fast. She'd known it would. But she ignored that, and the intense pain that was tearing through her body, and kept up her assault. She could also feel that Cell's power had dipped as well. She was doing more damage to him than his body could keep up with.

With a cry she fired a powerful kick at Cell's head, easily the thousandth blow since she began her assault. And the first that was blocked. Cell's arm came up and intercepted her leg at the last moment. Sakura didn't slow and simply followed up with her other leg slipping it easily passed Cell's defenses and smashing her foot into the side of his face.

Her power had declined rapidly. She was still stronger but her edge was fading fast. Sakura snapped around behind him hurridly and smashed her leg into the back of his neck. Then she smashed her other foot into Cell's back. Quickly she shot around in front of him again and thrust her leg into his gut using the momentum from the earlier blows to increase the damage.

Next she launched a punch at his face but he deflected her arm and countered with a punch of his own. She just managed to slip it and slam her knee into his chest. Her assault came to a sudden halt there as Cell grabbed her arm and flung her toward the ground sending a volley of energy blasts after her.

The energy slammed her into the ground and exploded. The Biodroid dove into the smoke cloud and slammed his knees into Sakura's stomach, the force of the blow blasting away the dust. He thrust his arm down, fist aimed right for her head, but she managed to move her head to the side. His fist smashed into the ground shattering the rock were her head had been.

Her left leg snapped up and her knee pounded into Cell's side knocking him off of her. Flipping up, she spun around and snapped her leg out kicking Cell in the head. She followed that up with a backflip kicking Cell in the jaw and knocking him into the air. Coming down she smashed her feet into the ground and looked up at where Cell floated.

/My power's too low now. It's going down faster and faster. My body can't take this much longer. Time to end this./ Quickly she put her fingers to her temples. "Kuro Omoi Seichuu!" she called, eyes flashing. Then she turned her stance sideways a bit and raised her arm. Her clothes and hair began to wave about wildly as blue, green, and silver energy gathered in front of her palm. She watched Cell closely as she gathered the attack, waiting for the Kuro Omooi Seichuu to wear off and him to make his move.

She could see him fighting to move, the grasp of her power fading on him quickly. During that time he assesed her stance and the attack quickly and growled. Soon as he was able to move again he shot down at her at full speed. "Good-bye Cell! Wakusei Okaeshi Bakuha!" The energy swirled and then exploded outward surging toward Cell rapidly.

The Biodroid brought his arms up quickly and erected a barrier. The force of the blast pushed the other Z Fighters backwards. "Impossible!" Raditz cried, doing his best to stay in place. The attack was stronger than Vegeta's earlier one but the upward angle of it was reducing the backwash they were feeling from it.

The power from the attack and from Sakura was fading fast. The attack only lasted for a moment and then vanished. There was a flash of orange from Sakura as she reverted to her base, her power dropping like a five ton rock.

Trunks' eyes widened as Sakura dropped to knees and coughed up blood. In a flash he charged out toward where she was grabbing the Senzu bag from Killin as he did, and Hotaru right behind him. Meanwhile Vegeta was looking up at where Cell floated. His arms had been destroyed again but his barrier had saved him from the bulk of the girl's attack. "Blasted freak!" he growled.

Trunks knelt down beside his mate. She was holding her stomach and obviously in intense pain. "Here, eat this, quickly." he said, pushing the bean into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed it quickly, the pained look on her face faded away and she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes again. Standing up she turned her gaze up the, once again, healed Cell.

"This time, I wont hold back!" she called up.

Cell shook his head. "Don't make me laugh girl. You couldn't beat me no matter how hard you tried. And that Senzu disqualifies you from fighting further. The Zetsumei Taikai's rules state that you cannot receive medical attention until a fight has ended. Trunks may have saved your life with that Senzu but he has also ended your fight."

"He's right." Bardock called out.

Sakura stood there for a moment, gritting her teeth, and then nodded. "Alright. Fine. I guess that makes it Goku's turn. I would have rather killed you myself but I can live with Goku doing it instead."

Cell smirked. "Yes, hold on to that hope a little longer. But soon you will see the truth. Once I've killed Goku I'll take out the rest of you too. So, Goku, shall we bring this to an end now?"

Goku nodded. "Alright, let's go Cell."


	29. The Grand Battle Begins

Chapter Twenty-nine - The Grand Battle Begins

/So, it comes down to Goku./ Roshi thought, watching his one time pupil walk into battle. /Come on Goku, if anyone can beat this guy, it's you. I've seen you do the impossible too many times to believe you can lose now. You can do this./

"Oh, Goku..." Chi-Chi said softly. "Be careful out there."

Bulma glanced over to her friend and then back at the screen. She knew how Chi-Chi felt after having watched Vegeta's battle. Sango closed her eyes and shook her head a little, focusing on the powers she felt, though keeping her main focus on Hotaru. "Winning seems so impossible." she said after a moment.

"Goku can win, I know he can." Bulma said, as the two warriors stared each other down. "He's never lost when it's really mattered."

Sango stood after a moment and walked outside. The others glanced after her but said nothing. Emerging outside she gazed up at the sky, still black and filled with flashes of lightning now and then. She stood there, just staring at the sky and feeling the powers off in the distance, he mind drifting back to the past. /Come on girl, it's been six years now, get over it./ she thought, closing her eyes again.

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Cell Games Ring:

Goku walked slowly from the others, his aura flickering to life and his power climbing up slowly. "Hope you don't mind, but I've not had a warm-up yet." he said, as his power stablizied. "So I'm not going to go all out just yet."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and growled. /Kakkarotto's just going out for a warm-up and his power's already greater than mine!/

Cell shrugged, his power staying at the same level it had been. "Very well, just make it interesting." he said floating down and landing once more. As he did he slipped into a fighting stance. Goku followed suit a second later. They stood in silence for a moment, just eyeing each other up. And then they both vanished. 

There was a quick flash and a thunderous crack in the sky as the two warriors appeared and then vanished again. Cracks and flashes followed all through the sky across the landscape as the two powerful warriors darted about meeting only momentarily for an attack or two before seperating again. Suddenly they appeared again only a few feet above the ground, a dozen yards away from the others.

Both thrust their right fists forward at the same instant and they collided into each other a second later. A monstrous crack and rush of power washed out, the ground caving in beneath them, rocks flying up around them. Lightning flashed from their fists and then Goku turned into a streak of orange as he pulled back and snapped around lashing out with his leg into the side of Cell's head.

The powerful creature stumbled to the side a couple of steps. His Sai-jin opponent took advantage of the opening and launched out a punch for the other's chest. A second later it passed right through Cell's body which then wavered and vanished. Goku's eyes widened and he turned but Cell's leg was faster and smashed into the back of his neck launching him forward.

Goku thrust an arm down toward the ground as he neared it, smashed his palm into the surface, pivoted, and flipped up onto his feet facing Cell once more. His right foot touched the ground first and pushed down into it, cracking the rock beneath it, as he pushed off and launched at his opponent once more.

Reaching him, the two warriors turned into a blur of yellow, orange, and green as fists and feet flew at high speeds. The wind from their joint assaults on each other kicking up dust around them as they moved along the ground. "Not bad Goku, you're doing better than I'd expected." Cell said smirking. "Still, it's not going to be enough to defeat me."

"We'll see about that Cell." Goku replied with a grin. "You still haven't seen my full power yet." The conversation came to a sudden halt as Goku's fist connected to Cell's jaw knocking him back. The Sai-jin aimed a punch for his abdomen next but Cell deflected it at the last second and then smashed an elbow into his face.

"I'm not very worried about your full power. Though it will give me a good workout, I'm sure." Cell said brushing a little dust off his shoulders. "Though I see you put your two years of training in the Room of Spirit and Time to good use."

"Nah." Goku replied, working out a kink in his shoulder. "Only did about year. Bardock and I both. We pushed ourselves to our limits and beyond in that time. More training would have been pointless."

Cell cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Confident, aren't we?"

"Not really. I'm not sure I can beat you. But if I'd kept traning I'd have only injured my body." Reaching up Goku pushed a hand against his neck and popped it. "So, shall we get back to it? I was just getting started before this little time out."

"If you're that eager to die, then let's resume." Cell replied, once more slipping into his fighting stance. Goku grinned and did the same. Once again the two of them vanished. They reappeared again a hundred feet above the ground swinging furiously at each other once more. They were little more than blurs to those below watching them.

"I had no idea Goku had improved so much." Trunks said in awe. "His form is incredible, and his power..."

"He's not even trying yet." Bardock said as he watched the fight closely. "He's still feeling out how Cell reacts to what he does." /Even so, after having seen what Cell is capable of, I'm not sure if even Goku can beat him./

A blinding flash flared up above them intruding on their conversation. It was followed a second later by a loud rumble that shook the ground beneath their feet. Cell and Goku had both landed cross right hooks to the other's jaw. Currently they were flying away from each other at high speeds, spinning out of control from the blows, trying to right themselves.

Cell recovered first and launched a volley of energy blasts toward his opponent. Goku was just pulling himself to a stop as the attacks reached him, impacted, and exploded. Before the explosions even stopped another crack resounded as Goku smashed his foot into Cell's back knocking him forward. He then vanished and reappeared in front of the other smashing his knee into his face.

Goku disappeared again but this time, when he reappeared, he was met with Cell's foot to his gut. The Bio-droid turned and backhanded him, knocking him away, before chasing after him. His fist launched out as he reached him but Goku slipped around it, spun up behind him, and then brought his heel down into his back driving him down into the ground.

The Sai-jin followed him down and attempted to slam his feet into his back but Cell rolled out of the way at the last second and Goku ended up knee deep in the ground instead. As he rolled, Cell kicked out with his left leg jamming his foot into Goku's jaw. The blow knocked him up, freeing him of the hole he'd made with his legs.

Cell twisted about on the ground and lashed out with his other foot as he stood. He smashed it into the powerful Sai-jin's stomach with a crushing blow, knocking him sailing away. In a flash of gold the Bio-droid shot after him but his punch passed through thin air as the afterimage vanished.

Goku came down from above at an angle slamming his foot into the back of Cell's head. He snapped about quickly, throwing his other leg out and around, and smashed it into Cell's face. As he recoiled back, Cell reached up and grabbed Goku's leg. Turning he slammed the shocked Sai-jin down, face first into the ground before standing and blasting a stream of energy into his back.

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Son Home, Gohan's Room:

"Dad!" Gohan cried. He almost stood up but he felt Videl's hand on his shoulder and calmed down. "Come on dad..."

"Don't worry Gohan." She said softly. "He's not even at full strength yet. I don't think either of them are taking this fight entirely seriously yet."

"That's why I'm worried." the boy said moving off his bed and over to stare out the window. "Cell's so powerful... stronger than anything we've ever fought before. He... he makes even Freeza or Sanil feel like weaklings. I'm worried that he can't win..."

"He will win!" Videl said. "Him and Bardock are amazing! You saw them training, they're both incredibly powerful. I don't know if they're the strongest out there... but there's no way they can be beaten. No way..."

Gohan heard her voice waver at the end and turned back to look at her a little. He realized that her speech had been as much to convince herself as him. And he also realized that she'd never faced anything like this before. Sure, she'd been involved with this since the beginning, training with them all over the passed three years. And yes, she'd been involved against the fight against Slug and Sanil. 

But she'd never actually been involved in a life or death situation like this. The closest had been her stand against Sanil just before he'd ascended and at the time she'd not had the chance to think about the outcome of her actions. She'd just acted. Now... now she truly understood the danger and the meaning to the fighting and she was facing the same fears and worries he'd faced on Namek.

Turning to look out his open window again a cool breeze blew in ruffling his golden blonde hair. /You have to win dad!/

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Cell Games Ring:

Cell's energy blast came to a sudden stop as Goku appeared only inches from him and smashed his knee into his face. Pulling back only a few inches he then slammed his leg into the other's head and followed that up with a backflip kick to his jaw which lifted him off the ground. The Sai-jin spun and snapped out a kick to finish up the combo but Cell managed to deflect it and countered with a punch of his own to Goku's stomach.

An elbow uppercut then knocked the Sai-jin into the air. He went a good hundred yards before flipping in the air and then pulling to a stop. His eyes widened in shock and he just managed to slip to the left around a punch from Cell. He countered with one of his own that smacked into Cell's face and then kicked him in the neck, stomach, chest, and then back knocking him away.

As the other recovered, Goku shot after him, a loud cry sounding as he did, his power shooting up as he flew. There was a blinding flash of gold and a loud echoing crack as the Sai-jin reached his opponent and landed a powerful blow. He followed up instantly with a furious combo of punches and kicks that all landed dead on.

Cell let out a cry a second later, a rush of golden energy washing out from him and blowing Goku away. As it did his power leapt up again. Not quite as much as Goku's had but enough to surpass the Sai-jin's power. Pulling to a stop some yards away Goku stablized himself and smiled as he looked at the angry expression on Cell's face.

"What, am I stronger than you'd thought I'd be?" he asked working a small cramp out of his right arm.

The anger faded away and an amused look took it's place on Cell's face. "Indeed, you are a bit stronger than I anticipated. However, it is far from anything that I can't handle. Is this the best you've got?"

"Maybe." Goku said, smirking lightly. "I may have a few tricks up my sleeve, though. You never know."

"True, but then, I have a few tricks of my own. And I'm not at full power yet, just so you know."

"Oh, had that feeling. So then, shall we get back to it?"

Cell replied by charging in toward the other. Goku shot in at him right after and the two met a second later and began to trade blows once more. The two became nothing more than a blur as feet and fists flew at incredible speeds. Cracks resounded through the air as they landed blows upon each other or deflected others.

Vegeta was watching the fight with a deep scowl over his features. Goku's full power in his Suepr Sai-jin state was comparable to his own full power in his Full Power state. It was less but it was close. Close enough that it had him severely annoyed. Not just at the fact their powers were so close but at the fact that Goku had achieved this power with just under a year's worth of training.

Meanwhile, he'd spent two full years in the Room of Spirit and Time training, had started out stronger in the first place, and had still been so greatly surpassed. While true that so long as this was all Goku was able to do, his own Full Power state was stronger, it's worthlessness voided that. The Sai-jin Prince narrowed his eyes as he watched the fight and a thought passed through his mind he never expected to have. /Good luck, Kakkarotto./ 


	30. The Definition of Hero

Chapter Thirty - The Definition of Hero

The Sai-jin's right fist slipped only inches passed Cell's head as the Bio-droid dodged. He then countered with a powerful punch of his own, directly to the other's abdomen. That was followed by an elbow to the side of his head and then a heel to his back that drove him down toward the ground. Cell turned and fired a blast of golden energy after him but the Sai-jin vanished. 

A bright flash and loud crack sounded as Goku appeared behind the bio-droid and slammed his knee into the back of his head. He then spun about and snapped his leg into Cell's side. Lifting up a bit higher, he then pounded his left leg into the side of his head once, twice, three times. Then, twisting around the other way, he smashed his right leg into his head knocking him sailing away.

As soon as leg and head parted contact, Goku vanished again appearing behind Cell and thrust his foot out. Using the bio-droid's momentum coupled with his own power he landed a thunderous blow to his back, just above what remained of his tail. He then fired a punch for the back of his head but the green warrior spun around and brought his arm up in defense blocking it. 

He then reached out and grabbed the Sai-jin's arm, yanked him closer, and then pounded his knee into his chest and his elbow down into Goku's elbow. There was a sickening crack accompanied by a loud scream from Goku as his elbow shattered. Cell then smashed his open palm into the Sai-jin's face knocking him back.

Goku pulled to a stop panting, grimacing, and holding his arm. Cell smirked. "Aww, did I break it?" he asked in a condescending tone. "Here, I'll fix it for you!" Suddenly a pink energy disc flared up above his arm and he pitched it toward the Sai-jin. The pain shooting through Goku's arm delayed his reaction and his dodge wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack, it sliced through his arm just above his elbow.

Crying out in pain he grabbed his arm and scowled at Cell. The bio-droid merely continued to smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you need that?" he asked laughing.

Suddenly Goku's mix of grimace and scowl turned into a smirk of his own. "No, not really." he said getting a raised eyebrow from Cell. The Sai-jin held his arm straight out to the side and focused. Among everything else he'd done during his stay in the RoSaT he'd also trained and practiced at the skills he'd learned from the Yardrat's.

Cell watched curiously as energy began to seemingly seep out of the stump of an arm Goku had left. It twirled and stretched snaking along almost like living smoke. After a few moments the energy took an obvious shape, that of the Sai-jin's missing limb. Then it grew brighter, flashed and cracked, and the energy vanished revealing a restored arm.

"How did... that's..." Cell stammered in shock.

Goku grinned. "A little something I picked up in space." he explained. "Mix in just enough energy and air and focus just right and voila, instant arm. So, shall we get back to things?" Goku didn't wait for an answer, just shot in at Cell.

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Otherworld, King Kai's planet:

King Kai stretched his arms and yawned as he sat up in his chair waking up from his nap. Things had been nice and peaceful the last few years, now that his small planetoid was empty of visitors again. It had been fun having students again but he had to admit, the peace and quiet was definitely an improvement over the presence of Goku or even Yamcha. Piccolo was more his type of student. Quiet and non-invasive on his sleep.

Climbing to his feet, the short and pudgy Kai twitched his antenna about and swapped his blindfold for his sunglasses. Walking out of his small house he glanced about at the tall grass and blinked. "Aww, darn it. I did it again. I must have been asleep for at least a month for grass like this!" Sighing the Kai moved over to his small shed and, a moment later, rode out on a lawn tractor.

"Well, first things first. I'll cut this grass and then I'll take a poke around the galaxy. See how Goku and the others are doing. They must be enjoying all the peace and quiet."

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Earth, Cell Games Ring:

Goku slammed into the ground hard blasting out a crater nearly a hundred yards across and fifty deep. And then the large golden energy orb he'd tried to deflect, the one that had been the cause of his sudden impact with the Earth, swelled and exploded savagely. The force of the blast enlarged the crater making it's orginal size look like nothing by comparison. 

Vegeta and the others landed gently at the edge of the blast range, Piccolo having noticed the danger they were in first and warning the others. There was nothing left of the terrain they'd been standing on only a moment ago, a massive scar nearly a mile across and half a mile deep now stretched out across the expanse.

The dust still reached nearly a mile into the sky as it settled slowly, the lack of any wind delaying it's descent and allowing it to float gently to the Earth. As they watched the settling debris, the larger chunks of un-pulverized rock finally beginning to rain down over the area, a golden glow began to form within the dust.

Suddenly a sphere of golden energy shot out of the dust cloud followed, a moment later, by another and then another. In seconds a hundred of the golden orbs were outside the dust surging toward Cell with more on the way. High in the sky, several hundred feet above the dust cloud, Cell began weaving and dodging around the incoming blasts, deflecting those that came too close. 

He was just about to launch a counterblast down at Goku when a cry from within the dust sounded, followed by a rush of wind that blasted the cloud apart and also marked the end to the energy barrage. The Sai-jin stood, arms still held above him toward Cell, a golden glow enveloping in his hands. And then, with another cry, he yanked his arms back in toward his body, closing his fists.

Cell's eyes widened and he turned quickly. Behind him all the energy blasts he'd dodged had merged into one large ball and it was now charging down toward him at incredible speed. "I can't dodge it!" he cried, thrusting his arms up toward the ball and bracing himself. It had just impacted his hands and started driving him back down toward Goku when he heard a new sound calling up from the Sai-jin's position.

"Kaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeee." The Bio-droid turned his head and looked back down at the ground. Goku's hands were cupped at his side, blue energy sparking to life between them. "Haaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeee." Cell shifted his position, adjusting his grip on the massive orb of energy so that he could hold it off with one hand. Quickly he aimed the other arm down toward Goku. "HAAAAAAAAAA!"

The ground beneath Goku, already battered and broken from the previous assualt, shattered and exploded from the rush of power emanating from Goku. The massive blue beam of Ki washed up through the sky tearing it's way toward it's target rapidly. There was a crack and flash of blue as it impacted the other's outstretched arm. The Bio-droid strained between the force of the two attacks, his elbows both threatening to give out.

A loud yell sounded from Cell, his power flared and pulsed and began to grow again. His muscles expanded increasing in size by about 50 by the time he finished. As his power stablized again he was holding off the twin attacks with no difficulty. "Oh no you don't Cell!" Goku called up from below. "I will beat you, no matter the cost!"

Cell turned his head toward Goku and smirked. "Is that so? And just what do you plan to do to stop me now? My power exceeds yours considerably! You have no chance against my full power!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that Cell!" Goku yelled up. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. /Chi-Chi... Gohan... I don't know if I can survive this. It could be too much strain on my body, even with the training I've gone through. Doing this... it could kill me. But even if it does... it will be worth it to stop Cell, so that he can't get to you. So... good-bye... and forgive me./

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Son Home, Living Room:

Sango still hadn't come back in yet but no one had particularly noticed. Their eyes were all locked on the battle before them as they watched the golden orb form behind the unsuspecting Cell. They were deathly silent as they watched Cell turn to hold it off. As they watched Goku begin his Kamehameha attack. As they heard their exchange.

As Goku went silent Chi-Chi's eyes widened slowly, a feeling she didn't like running through her body. Goku's voice echoed softly, faintly, gently, inside her mind. A lump caught in her throat and tears burned her eyes. "No..." she managed softly. The others barely heard her but soon she repeated it again, louder, and they looked at her. As a blindingly bright light filled the TV screen Chi-Chi screamed. "GOKU!"

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Son Home, Gohan's Room:

Gohan and Videl were doing something they'd not done yet this day. They were smiling. As soon as they'd seen the attack taking shape behind Cell small smiles had crept their way across their young faces. They'd reached full size, going from ear to ear, as Goku had begun his Kamehameha. Hope clearly evident on their faces. And then Cell had powered up.

The smiles faded right along with the hope. And then as Goku went silent after his exchange with Cell, Gohan blinked. He could feel his father, feel his emotions and sense his thoughts. And then the powerful Sai-jin's voice reached his mind, soft and gentle, and slitghtly sad. "No... daddy..." Gohan said softly as the light from the TV began to intensify. And then, as the room was bathed in red, his voice joined his mother's. "DADDY!"

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Cell Games Ring:

Goku spread his feet a little to get better footing as he opened his eyes. It was all or nothing now. "Suuperrrrrr..." he started, red light trailing along in his aura. "Kaioken!" The Sai-jin's golden aura vanished in a blinding flash of red, the Kamehameha wave swelling to massive size as it, too, turned red.

The bright glare of red hid Goku from view, his massive power the only thing that marked his continued existance. Up in the air the new rush of power reached Cell before the creature even fully registered it was coming. The attack he'd been holding off instantly overtook and engulfed him. The energy orb exploding on contact with the wave which then faded away.

The sun-like glare of red on the ground faded away then as it flared up in the sky instead. The massive rush of wind, power, and energy from the explosion knocked the Z Fighters over nearly half a mile away. The clouds around them were blown apart by the force of the blast. And then the rumble began to fade from the land and their ears. A moment later the glare faded away as well and they opened their eyes.

Goku still stood, arms up over his head for a moment, and then he fell onto his back, his hair falling down and turning black before he'd even hit the ground. Barodck shot off toward him first, the others soon on his trail. Reaching his son the powerful Sai-jin knelt and dug a Senzu out of the bag in his hand. Trunks glanced down at his own hand, now empty of the bag of beans. He hadn't even noticed Bardock take them from him.

Bardock pushed the bean into Goku's mouth, the Sai-jin's breathing was laboured and shallow, his Ki was dropping steadily. The strain had been too much on his body, he'd shredded it in that attack and, without the healing power of the bean, would be dead in a matter of moments. "Come on Goku, swallow it..." Appla breathed from the side.

As if hearing her, his mouth moved slowly, painfully chewing the Senzu and then swallowing it. A moment later he took a deep breath and sat up gasping. "Thanks..." he breathed, turning his eyes skyward. He wasn't sure if he'd won or not. He'd sensed Cell right up until he passed out... His eyes darted back and forth in the sky for some sign, any sign, of the creature.

Suddenly his gazed changed from the sky to the ground, the far end of the crater before him. There floated Cell, torso and head only. Arms and legs, from the waist down, missing. But only for an instant. As soon as his eyes fell on him, his legs and arms reformed, sprouting from his body like a turtle's from its shell.

"Damn it... what's it take to beat him!?"

"I am unbeatable." Cell replied, drawing all eyes to him at last. "And I grow tired of this. It is time to end it. It is time for all of you to die." Goku started climbing to his feet, the others started taking fighting stances, Cell started to move foward, and then all of them froze. Goku and the Z Fighters pausing in shock at the sight before them, Cell stopping as a pair of powerful arms and legs wrapped around his body. If he'd been expecting them they'd never have been able to restrain him but, as it was a complete shock, he was frozen in his tracks.

No one had even noticed Sakura leave the group and come up behind Cell's location, too fixated on Goku's condition. She'd followed Cell's fall after the explosion and had made her decision and her move before he'd even hit the ground. Now, as she grabbed him, her body flashed and she transformed. "Yottsu Kinryoku!" she cried, and her aura shifted silver. Her muscles had increased in size and the strain was evident on her face.

"And what, exactly, do you plan to accomplish with this?" Cell asked, nonchalantly. Obviously unconcerned with the girl now clinging to him, even though her power was currently higher than his own.

"Your death." she replied. Light began drifting into her from the ground and the air as her body began to glow and her eyes soon followed suit. -Trunks... I have to do this, I hope you understand. Move away from here. And... Trunks, my love, good-bye.-

Across the way Vegeta had noticed the glow to his son's eyes, something he'd learned the meaning of during his second trip into the RoSaT. "What is it?" he asked, seeing the look on his eyes. "What's she doing?"

He shook his head. "I don't... she just said good-bye."

"Sakura!" Hotaru called turning back toward her daughter. "No!"

Trunks reached out and grabbed her. "We have to get away, now!" he cried taking off, pulling Hotaru with him. The others waited only a moment before following after him.

Sakura had her eyes closed as they began to sting from the tears. /Sorry mother. This is something that... I have to do./ Opening them again she tightened her hold on Cell. "This is the end for you!" she cried. "Wakusei Kujo...!"

Cell's eyes snapped wide as the wash of power emanating from the girl attatched to him slammed into him like a freight train. He'd expended a lot of his energy surviving Goku's attack and he was still recovering. The conversion process was still restoring his Ki, he wasn't at full strength just yet... With a cry he began trying to break free.

Sakura's voice echoed over the blasted landscape, loud, commanding, and full of purpose. "Bakuhatsu!" The Z fighters had just reached the opposite end of the crater when they heard her voice. Turning to look they saw the sudden flash of silver, blue, red, and green come from the half Tanarian in a blinding rush.

A second later the loud thunder-like rumble reached them as the explosion flared up from the opposite end crater and engufled it completely making a blast radius of over two miles. The four colors swirled and flared and pulsed and flashed as the dome of energy bulged and swelled. And then it erupted skyward in a massive rush of power surging forward into the space-time tear were it was destroyed.

Sakura's cry of determination and pain had lasted until this moment, and then it ended. As it came to stop all traces of her energy vanished. Those floating only a few hundred yards away from the attack all registered this at the same time, tears coming to the eyes of both Trunks and Hotaru.

And then the energy began to recede. The column of power narrowed and shrank as it thinned out and, a moment later, vanished. A new crater had now erased and replaced the old one, this one larger and deeper than the last. And within this crater there was no trace of Cell. Or of Sakura. Hotaru swallowed and closed her eyes as Trunks laid a hand on her shoulder. 


	31. Into Desperation

Chapter Thirty-one - Into Desperation 

Hercule had managed to catch Chi-Chi after she fainted. He had laid her out gently on the ground before the glare had even faded away from the screen, and so, she didn't see that Goku had managed to survive. She also was not witness to the Earth shaking explosion that was Sakura's last attack. Bulma had instinctively held both her own young son and the child Sakura a little closer after that.

Outside the home Sango had followed the fight with her senses. But the final attack from Sakura she'd not needed her senses. She'd been able to feel and to see that. The light had flared up to the north almost like a second sunrise. At first she'd thought it was Hotaru but the Ki had been way too powerful which meant Sakura. "Just as much spirit as her mother..." Sango said softly as she watched the glare fade away.

Up in Gohan's room the two children stared at the screen in shock. "No... way." Videl said softly, blinking. "G-Gohan... y-you can still s-sense her... right?"

The boy shook his head. "No. She... she's gone." he said softly. "Come on, let's go."

"But... we're supposed to..."

"The fight's over." Gohan said. "I want to..." He froze and his eyes shot back to the TV to see if what he felt was true.

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Planet Vegeta, The Palace, Throne Room:

The Throne Room was both crowded and empty today. A small gathering of individuals had been invited to watch the events occuring on Earth, these 'Cell Games'. The King was there, of course, as was Pug, Toma, Mango, Tangerie, Vadora, and Chaotzu. All those present had something of a personal stake in the battle.

They'd all remained silent during the course of the battle, their eyes locked on the video feeds and power level readings from the planet. Pug was increasingly impressed with the new systems and increasingly suprised by the powers of those on Earth. Goku's Kamehameha and 'Super Kaioken' combo hadn't even put a strain on the systems and it had nearly reached 430 million.

It was a moment after that attack that someone finally spoke. As the blinding glow of Sakura's heroic attack filed the monitor. "That's..." it was Tangerie who had spoken, or tried to. But she couldn't find the words.

"She gave her life to save the rest of the galaxy." the King said a moment later. The view on the screens had changed to the Z Warriors. It wasn't looks joy and relief that the danger had passed, that victory was theirs, but one of sadness at the loss of one of their friends that covered their faces. It lingered on them for a moment before suddenly changing to show something new.

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Planet Tanaria, The Palace, Throne Room:

"What is she...?" Akira asked watching the screen. He, Sora, and Kavar had decided to watch the Cell Games together in the throne room. Most of the people in the city were watching the large screen out in the city square, their voices could be heard every so often as something major happened. Only a few of them were able to sense Earth from this distance and the power readings weren't being displayed to the public.

"Suicide attack." Kavar said watching. "She's going to take herself out to take out Cell." A second later the alien was proven true as a large explosion overtook everything and the scene was hidden by a blinding glare. It didn't take long for the three to notice Sakura's Ki vanish. Or for those outside in the city to grow loud again.

Sora closed her eyes. "So much like her mother, that girl."

Akira had to agree with that. Sacrificing her own life was definitely something Hotaru would do if it meant saving others. Especially ones she cared about. "At least... the threat is over." he said as he watched the upset mother hitting her fists against Trunks' chest.

Kavar had turned to head outside, the loud cheers already reaching his ears, when he felt a sudden 'twitch' to Sora's power. A small spike he had come to recognize over the years as an indication that something was bothering her. Turning to look he saw the image on the monitor shift and realized she must have sensed it before the cameras showed it.

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The Cell Games:

"She... blew herself up, to take out Cell." Raditz said softly.

Hotaru barely heard him. She barely even registered the world around her for a moment. And then she felt the hand on her shoulder and turned slowly to look. She snapped out of her daze a moment later as her gaze rested on Trunks. "Let go of me!" she cried, jerking away from him. The sudden yell shocked the others and they turned to look.

"I... we could have..." she started, her voice and look going between despair and anger. Suddenly she smashed her arms against his chest in frustration and anger. As she continued beating on his chest everyone watched on sadly. Yamcha knew how Hotaru felt to an extent but he'd not spent nearly as much time with their daughter from the future as she had. But he could also see the sadness in Trunks eyes too, after all, he'd just lost his mate.

As she continued her assault of anger and despair, Hotaru began to glow faintly as her power built. Trunks realized that, in her pain, the Tanarian royal was losing control over her power. In the same instant that she transformed, so did he so that she could continue letting out her frustrations without hurting him any.

A moment later her flailing arms finally slowed and then stopped as she collapsed against his chest still crying. Yamcha floated over to her and gently moved her away from Trunks. The numbness of his own mind was just starting to fade now and suddenly he remembered the Dragonballs. However, before he could say anything to Hotaru, a wind rushed out across the landscape and a power hit his mind.

"What the hell!" Vegeta cried, his eyes turning finally from his son to the point of origin of the power. There, floating about five feet above the center of the crater, was an oddly shapped blue mass that was pulsing and rippling strangely. Red lightning like energy was arcing around it as it pulsed and its power built up slowly. The mass was still weak by comparison to those present but its power was climbing quickly.

"No... it... it can't be..." Yamcha breathed, eyes going wide. "There's no way he survived that!"

Piccolo was the first to have a working mind and quickly he thrust an arm out, a stream of green energy charging for the forming mass. Howerver, the attack never reached it, slamming instead into an invisible barrier of some kind nearly a dozen feet of its target. "Damn it!" he cried, stopping the attack.

There was a flash of gold as Vegeta transformed and thrust his arms forward trying his own hand at stopping the re-forming Cell. His own golden energy had the same effect as Piccolo's, none. The Sai-jin Prince growled as he lowered his arms. "Damn that freak!" he roared.

"This can't be happening... no..." Hotaru said softly, eyes watering. "Sakura... she... she died for nothing..."

The forming mass was now a good three feet across and slowly taking on more recognizable features. Parts were turning green, black dots were appearing, small stubs had emerged for the arms and the legs. Joining the lightning like energy was his golden aura. But as it pulsed and flared, growing larger in match with Cell's power, it began to change colors, slowly turning orange.

"No fucking way!" Yamcha cried floating back. "He... he can't have... can he?"

"The Tanarian Transformation..." Krillin said in shock. "This isn't good..."

"He'll be even more powerful than before..." Appla said, the despair evident in her voice.

"We HAVE to stop him before that happens!" Trunks cried as he transformed quickly. And with that he charged in toward the mass. Vegeta was right on his trail followed a moment later by Bardock and Goku who transformed along the way. Raditz watched them go before growling. A second later a red aura flared up around him and he surged in as well not sure how much help he could be. Piccolo was only a second behind him and then Appla was charging in too.

"We have to help them." Tien said floating over to Krillin and Yamcha.

"What could we possib..." Yamcha was cut off as Hotaru's aura flashed to silver and she shot in to join the others. "Hotaru!" he called watching her charge in. "Damn it... Sanjuu Kinryoku!" he cried shooting in toward the battle as well.

Tien watched them go and then braced himself. "Yotsuu Kinryoku! Double Kaio Ken!" His silver aura vanished before even fully forming and was replaced by a red one. In a flash he shot in to join the others leaving Krillin alone.

The short Human watched them, the first group had already reached Cell's location and was currently trying to smash through the barrier around him. Each blow sent sparks of Ki flying out but was apparently having no effect on the defense. /Man... I'm going to die without a girlfriend.../ he thought. And as he did 18 flashed in his mind and the fear vanished from his face. "Sanjuu Kinryoku!"

The 11 warriors had surrounded Cell's location just at the edge of his barrier and were attacking furiously, putting all they had into each attack. By now his power had nearly reached the level he'd been fighting Goku at earlier and his arms and legs were fully formed. The rippling mass was now taking shape into his body, his head slowly emerging at the top.

And then, with a cry and blast of power that knocked all those around him away nearly a hundred yards, his regeneration finished and his power shot through roof. It was definitely greater than before but, as they were all thankful for, it wasn't nearly as powerful as they had feared. He may have unlocked a Tanarian like change but the increase wasn't nearly as great as the actual transformation. Still, he had them all far outclassed at this point. Not even Goku could see any hope left.

"How did you..." Yamcha started.

Cell smirked. "She almost had me... tricky girl. Luckily I'm trickier. At the last second I focused all of my power to protecting a single cell of my being. So long as it survived I would as well. It worked. Her attack was astounding and outstanding, it would have had me, but my ingenuity was superior. All she did was kill herself and make me even more powerful than ever before!

"My body seems to have adapted, increasing the priority of the Tanarian DNA over that of even the Sai-jin in me. Interesting. I can consider this later. I believe I was about to kill all of you before she interrupted me. So, shall we pick up there? Who would like to go first, hmm? Goku? Vegeta? Trunks?" he asked, his now red eyes looking to each of them in turn.

"Damn you Cell!" Hotaru yelled at him, the anger and pain dripping from her voice. A single blue symbol was forming in each of her solid red eyes as she glared at Cell. Her silver aura was flickering and fading away, the orange seeping in again. "She gave her life to stop you... Damn you!"

There was a crack and flash from Hotaru as her power churned around her. Her silver aura was gone, orange once more in it's place, but her power hadn't dropped. It was, in fact, building. Her aura was now a swirling circle around her growing thicker and brighter until she vanished from view within it. Orange lightning began to spark along it as blue green lines began to trace around it forming a pattern.

Yamcha floated back in shock. He recognized this process, Hotaru was transforming again! Still, he seriously doubted the power increase she'd make would be enough in the end to stop, or even annoy, Cell. A second later Hotaru's cry sounded from within the sphere of energy and it exploded apart.

Now with the visual obstruction gone they could see the changes, minor as they were, that she had undergone. As with Sakura she now had more stripes on her body. On her arms, forhead, and neck. Her hair was now a light sky blue, lighter than Sakura's had been, and her eyes were now solid pink. Orange lightning, a lighter and brighter color than her still orange aura, flashed about her as she glared at Cell.

Her power had, indeed, gone up. But as Yamcha had figured she really was no match for Cell still. /Maybe,/ Yamcha thought. /If we were lucky enough for her to transform right on through to her True Form.../ He wasn't really sure if his mental calculations were entirely accurate on that, but he figured she'd be at least around the level Sakura had been during her fight with Cell.

"My, what a light show." Cell asked smirking. "What, have transformations gone on sale today or something?"

Hotaru growled. "Shut-up! You have no right!" she cried, the lighting like energy snapping about her angrily. Her hands were still clenched into fists and her entire body was shaking with rage that bordered on pure hatred. "You have no right to be using her DNA, no right to the form you've taken, no right to live!"

"Aren't we the righteous one." he laughed. "Well then, if you want to be with your daughter again, then come on, I'll send you to join her."

Hotaru growled again, her fists clenching more and her nails drawing blood from her palms. "Nibai Kinryoku!" she cried, her aura shifting to silver, the energy bolts still sparking around it. She felt her muscles swell and her power spike. It was a bit of a strain but she'd felt worse. In a flash of silver she surged in at Cell.

The Bio-droid didn't bother to move or react in any way other than to follow her with his eyes. She reached him in seconds and began to hit him with everything she could manage. Blows to his head, neck, chest, stomach, and back, each sending out thunderous cracks and backwashes of power but not even phasing the powerful creature. Cell simply laughed. "Let me know when it's my turn, would you?"

"You think this is a game!?" Hotaru cried, backing off a bit.

"Well, it certainly isn't a fight."

"Sanjuu Kinryoku!" She cried in response. Her power flared up higher, her aura grew brighter and thicker, and her muscles bulged outward. Again she surged in but this time Cell didn't bother to just stand there. He moved, faster than she could see, and slammed his knee into her stomach and then smashed his elbow into her back.

She was knocked into the ground a few feet below them, her aura vanished and her body glowed for a moment as she passed out and reverted to base. Cell pointed an arm down at her and started charging energy for a death blow. Suddenly a foot smashed into his face as Goku attacked him once again. The blow was enough to distract him from the downed Tanarian, but little else.

A second later the Sai-jin was joined by two others, Trunks and Bardock. Together the three of them launched a furious assault on Cell but he dodged around all of their attacks avoiding them like they were moving in slow motion. The four lifted up into the sky, the others just watching on for a moment.

As Trunks was knocked away by a fierce kick to his stomach, Vegeta shot up into the fray taking his son's place. But the half Sai-jin wasn't out of the battle for long and soon re-joined the others. Even with four Super Sai-jins attacking him at the same time he was dodging them as easily as if they were moving in slow motion.

"Is this the best you've got?" Cell laughed as he blocked a kick from Trunks with one leg, a kick from Bardock with the other, caught a punch from Goku with his left hand and smashed his right fist into Vegeta's unprotected chest. The pause in the battle lasted only a moment and then the five were moving once again.

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Son Home, Gohan's Room:

"I... I don't believe it..." Videl said in shock as Cell finished his regeneration. "He... survived!"

"And he's gotten even stronger too!" Gohan cried. "That's it, I'm going to help." he said heading for his window. "I have to try and do something..."

"I'm coming too." Gohan glanced back at her and she frowned at him. "Don't think I'm staying here. I'm just as good a fighter as you, and stronger than Trunks or Vegeta too. Besides, you know what will happen if they lose. Either way I'll die. At least this way I have some say in it."

Gohan nodded and then floated out of his window. He waited there for a moment until Videl was out as well and then both of them shot off toward the battle, little more than golden streaks to anyone that had seen them leave. The only one who had was Sango. "There they go." she said watching them. Suddenly she smiled. "Can't let everyone else have all the fun." and with that she vanished from where she stood.

Inside the home, Roshi was the only one able to sense how powerful Cell now was. He was also the only one in the room that was able to follow the kids as they took off or detect Sango's sudden depature from the front lawn. He could hardly blame any of them. Even as weak as he was by comparison to these fighters he wanted to go and try and help.


	32. Unto Death

Chapter Thirty-two - Unto Death

King Kai sighed and wiped his brow as he took a break in his work. Half of his planet now had nice short grass. The other half was still tall enough for Bubbles to get lost in. "What I need is a goat." he muttered as he removed his sunglasses and cleaned the sweat off them. "Yes, I need a goat. I wonder if the Grand Kai still has that one I saw there a few centuries ago? Hmm, I'll have to pop over there and ask him later."

Reaching down, the short Kai revved up the mower's engine again and resumed his work. The aged god and warrior was still utterly and blissfully clueless about how... busy his life was going to be becoming in only a few short minutes. His enjoyed solitude was soon to come to an end.

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The Cell Games:

Sango looked up at the fast moving fighters. They were going well beyond her ability to keep up. She wasn't the only one having trouble following them, either. Krillin, Tien, Raditz, Appla, and even Piccolo were just floating there, watching. Yamcha was down on the ground beside Hotaru checking on her and that's where Sango went. "Is she ok?"

Yamcha looked up startled and then nodded. "She'll be fine... assuming we survive this." he said, standing and looking up at the battle again. "This is just..." he shook his head. "How do we win? How can we stop him?"

"I don't know." Sango said. "But we didn't come this far to lose now."

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah, I know, but... this just seems hopeless."

Sango smiled as a silver aura flared up around her. "It's only hopeless when you quit fighting." she said, and with that she surged up into the air toward the battle. She reached them a moment later, just as Goku was knocked away. She slipped up in his place, much to the shock of the others, and smashed her knee into Cell's face.

The moment's distraction that her appearance caused, she was a brand new and unknown fighter to Cell after all, gave the three Sai-jins the opening they needed and they smashed his head between their fists. It was the first blow that actually registered to him. Cell was stunned for a moment but before any of them could try anything else his elbow smashed into Trunks' stomach knocking him away. Spinning he backhanded Bardock and Vegeta in one move and then snapped his leg out smashing his foot into Sango's chest.

The Tanarian's silver aura sputtered a bit as she fell but she managed to stop herself from passing out, though not from hitting the Earth. Yamcha watched her fall all the way to the ground and then changed stances. His hands cupped at his side as his eyes roamed up to Cell once more. Blue light flared up for a second and then shifted silver. "Kaaaaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeeeeeee Ryyyyyyooooooo Kuuuuuuuu..."

His voice caught the attention of the waking Hotaru as well as the others. Sango moved over to where he was instantly, Hotaru standing on his other side. Krillin moved over as well and dropped down beside Sango. The three new arrivals soon followed Yamcha's lead cupping their hands and gathering silver energy between their palms. Appla waited only a moment longer and then landed beside Hotaru and cupped her hands as well charging blue energy between them.

Dust swirled about the five warriors as their powers rushed out. Hotaru had transformed and powered up into the Kinryoku again, the strain already pulling at her body. And then, a moment later as the four Sai-jins were knocked away from Cell once more, the five warriors on the ground thrust their arms up and called out in unison. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The four silver streams and one blue surged up toward their target. Cell felt them nearing a moment later and merely smirked at the sight of the attack. The beams had swirled around and merged with each other reaching the Bio-droid as just a single attack. He held out one arm and stopped it dead like it was nothing. "Is that the best you can do!?" he called down laughing.

Piccolo shot down and landed a few feet behind the others and then brought his arms up, orange and purple energy erupting to life in front of his palms. "Masenko Ha!" he roared, thrusting his arms up and sending his own attack to join the others.

Cell just continued to laugh. "Pitiful!"

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." Bardock's voice sounded as he landed beside Appla. Goku floated down at the opposite end of the five, his voice joining Bardock's as he cupped his hands. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The twin beams of energy surged up and joined the others and soon Cell found himself hard pressed to keep the attack at bay. Shifting his position he started using both hands to hold it off. "You don't get it, do you!?" he called down. "I am Perfect! No, now thanks to my most recent change I am beyond Perfect! Nothing can surpass my power, nothing! You can't beat me!"

"We'll see about that Cell! Galick Gun..." Vegeta roared from above and behind. He'd taken up a position in the sky an equal distance from Cell as those on the ground. The Bio-droid glanced back just in time to see him thrust his arms down and purple energy flare from his palms. "Fire!" Cell's eyes widened as the attack neared. It wouldn't be nearly enough to hurt him normally but his defenses were currently focused on the attacks from below.

Trunks, Raditz, and Tien, the only ones present not currently involved in the assault watched on as Vegeta's beam reached its destination. Suddenly there was a swelling of the blasts at the impact points and then a monsterous explosion rocked the planet and knocked everyone backward. The attack from below surged upward and Vegeta barely managed to dodge it as it surged at and into the time-space tears.

As the glare died away from the explosion there was no sign of Cell. Vegeta let out a breath and relaxed a little, letting his muscles cool and his breath catch up with him. The Sai-jin Prince smirked a little as he stared at the empty space where Cell had been. "Finally, he's toast."

"Father!"

Vegeta's eyes snapped wide, the yell from his son caused him to turn just in time for his face to meet with Cell's foot. The blow slammed him down into the planet and his hair turned black. Cell scowled at the prone Vegeta, the Prince's chest still rising and falling slowly. "Rotten pests, harder to kill than roaches! Well, say good-bye Vegeta, now you die!" Cell growled, arm pointed toward the Sai-jin, and then a blue ball of energy was charging down toward him.

Trunks shot off at full speed for where his father was. He had to reach him before the attack did, get him out of the way. "Hold on father!" The others all watched on in shock as Trunks reached Vegeta a split second before Cell's attack. The energy blast slammed into the half Sai-jin's back and exploded completely destroying his armor.

Trunks fell to the ground a foot from where he'd been and slid, his hair turning purple and falling down as he left a trail of blood behind him. "No... his Ki... It's gone!" Krillin cried in horror.

"This isn't good..." Bardock said swallowing. "Sakura and Trunks are dead, Vegeta's down, and Cell's too powerful."

"There's a way to win this." Goku said, eyeing up the Bio-droid who was just floating there, grinning down at them. "There has to be!" And in a flash of gold he surged up toward Cell once more. A second later Bardock was right on his tail. The two Sai-jins reached Cell and began swinging at him again but the powerful Bio-droid was fast too, faster than them, and he was dodging with ease.

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Otherworld, Check-in Station Line:

Trunks looked around a bit confused for a moment. Then he realized that this matched the stories he'd heard about Otherworld as a kid. "Oh... I... I'm dead?" he wondered, looking down toward the golden clouds below him. Looking forward he saw where there was a decent line of people ahead of him making towards the only building he could see.

Just as he started wondering if Sakura was still in line he spied silver hair. Pushing passed a few others he made his way toward her. "Sakura!"

She turned and looked, eyes going wide as she saw him. "T-Trunks!" she cried. Pushing passed those behind her she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I... I don't... what happened?" she asked pulling back and looking up at him, noting the halo over his head.

Trunks sighed. "Cell... survived and came back, stronger than before." he explained. "I was trying to save dad..." he glanced around a bit. "Looks like I did, at least."

"Oh... no..." she said softly, closing her eyes and resting her head against Trunks' chest. "This isn't how this was supposed to go."

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Earth, Two Miles South East of the Cell Games:

"We're almost there." Gohan said as he caught sight of his father and grandfather fighting with Cell.

"I can't sense Vegeta or Trunks anymore..." Videl said softly. Gohan was about to respond but stopped as he saw Cell kick Bardock in the head, knocking him away, and then grab Goku's foot and throw him into the other Sai-jin. Holding his arms out energy sparked, flared and then surged out engulfing both Sai-jins, their screams sounding loudly over the roar of the attack.

A second before it faded the Ki's of the Sai-jins vanished. "N-no! Grandpa! Dad!" he cried, his aura flaring brighter as he poured on more speed. But, once the attack was gone, he realized that so were both of them. He froze and stared at the empty sky where they'd been as Cell turned his attention back toward the downed Vegeta.

However, the Bio-droid was interrupted before he could even begin to charge an attack. Gohan surged in and slammed his foot into the side of his head catching him completely by suprise and knocking him away several dozen yards. By the time he'd recovered Videl had joined the other child who had a very angry and determined look on his face.

"He can't be wished back again!" he yelled, his red gloved hands clenching into fists. "Dad can't be wished back again!"

Cell reached up and rubbed his head where the blow had hit. "Lucky brat. And no one's getting wished back this time kid. Once I've killed the lot of you I'm going to spend the rest of the time waiting for that tear to fade by killing everyone on this planet one by one. And once it's gone this entire planet will be dust."

"No, I'll stop you!"

"Hahahaha! You? You'll stop me?" he cried laughing. "You're just a child. You couldn't hurt me if you tried. Come on, I'll even give you a free shot."

With a crack Gohan surged in at Cell, his power shooting up from it's resting level to full strength. Cell barely had time to register the sudden surge of power from the boy before the assault was upon him. Gohan landed three kicks to his stomach, two to his chest, and a punch to his face that sent him sailing off yet again. Much to the shock of those below.

"Gohan... how..." Piccolo wondered. And then he smirked. "Cell let himself relax now that the strongest fighters had been dealt with, he wasn't expecting Gohan to be almost as powerful as Bardock!"

As Gohan shot in to resume his attack Videl pulled up along side him and joined him. The two pulled back their arms, Videl her right and Gohan his left, as they neared Cell. Reaching him just as he recovered they slammed their energy incased fists into his face with a crack and knocked him away yet again.

The two shot after him once more arcing out slightly before coming back in. Just before reaching him they both spun about and snapped out their legs. The blows to the side of his head never landed, however, as they cracked against his raised arms instead. He smashed his elbow into Videl's stomach and knocked her away before truning and grabbing Gohan by the head.

"Nice try kid, but you're not even as powerfull as your Father. So too bad for you. But, if you miss him that much..." He let out a cry as he pitched the small Sai-jin up into the sky. "You can join him. Death Beam!"

Appla didn't even think as she saw the deadly purple energy beam charging toward her grandson. She took off in a burst of red moving as fast as she could. She knew there was no way she could reach Gohan and get him away from the attack, he was too far away, but she could intercept the beam. If she could reach it, get between it, and slow it down even a little, it could give Gohan time to avoid it.

This ran through her mind in the two seconds it took to get in front of the beam. Turning to face it she thrust her arms up erecting the strongest Ki barrier she could knowing, even as she did, that it wouldn't stop it. The Death Beam hit and stalled for a split second before punching through the barrier and then going through Appla's chest.

Above her Gohan recovered just in time to see the beam emerge from her back. He dodged to the side quickly and it sped passed, missing him by a hair. If it hadn't been slowed by Appla it would have been a direct hit. He watched as his grandmother fell toward the ground, eyes locked on her until she hit, and then he was charging down to land beside her, Raditz already there.

She was still alive, barely. "Grandma..." Gohan said, kneeling beside her, his eyes stinging. "Hold on, I'll find out who has the Senzus, you'll be ok!"

"G-Gohan... Bardock h-had the... beans." she managed. "They're gone."

"No... maybe Korin has some more! I can go..."

He stopped as he felt her hand grab his arm. "It's too... late for th-that." It was getting harder for her to breathe or keep her eyes open. "Get... away from here... Gohan. Don't..." she stopped as she grimaced. And then her face slacked and her Ki vanished.

"No, grandma!" Gohan cried, burying his face in her armor.

Raditz closed his eyes as he stood. He opened them again as he looked up, a scowl forming on his face. Leaving Gohan crying over Appla's body he shot up into the air and surged up above Cell. Stopping above him he placed his hands in front of his body focusing on the skill he'd learned from Tien.

Gold light flashed between his hands but soon turned red. "No, Raditz, don't!" Tien called up. The Sai-jin ignored him, however, as he focused on Cell between his hands. The Bio-droid merely smirked up at him which further pissed him off.

"Super Tri-beam!" he cried, the energy flashing and surging down at Cell. The red energy slammed into Cell and drove him down about a half foot but nothing more. Raditz growled and fired again and again. Each blast smashing out a chunk of the Earth below his target but barely doing anything to him.

After his sixth shot Tien saw him wavering slightly, his power was seriously slipping. The Triclops was moving a second later, following the seventh shot. And by the ninth Raditz was falling. Tien caught him a few feet above the ground and laid the unconcious Sai-jin down. Looking up again he looked at what was left of them.

Vegeta and Raditz were both unconcious. Gohan was still crying into Appla's armor. Videl stood behind him not really sure what to do. Yamcha and Krillin were just too outmatched to do anything. So was the newly transformed Hotaru. Even Piccolo was at a loss for what to do.

Cell brushed some dust off his shoulder and smirked. "Well now, that was stronger than I expected. Extremely impressive. However, as you can see, all resistance is futile against me."

Gohan raised his head at the sound of Cell's voice, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Slowly he stood and stepped over his grandmother's body, eyes locked on Cell. "You monster!"

"Hahaha, finally notice?" he asked smirking.

"My dad and my grandma... they can't be... They can't be wished back again!" he cried, his aura pulsing and flashing as Cell just floated there.

"You still don't get it, do you? It's like I said before. No one is getting wished back again. Ever. I am the supreme power in this universe now, boy." He reached up and popped his neck and then grinned. "You know, I grow tired of this. I think it's time I finished up."

Gohan clenched his hands into fists and then surged up at Cell again. Videl watched him for a moment and then shot after him. Cell slipped around the charging Gohan and smashed his foot into Videl's face knocking her back toward the ground. Turning he blocked a punch from Gohan and then kneed him in the stomach before kicking him up higher into the sky. 


	33. A Saijin Legacy

Chapter Thirty-three - A Sai-jin Legacy

There was nothing but silence in the large room as they watched the turn of events on Earth. The return of Cell was an unexpected occurance. Even Raven's mate thought the girl had done the deed with her attack. "I hadn't realized he was this persistant." he said softly. "He only existed in my time-line for a few days before stealing Trunks' Time Machine and heading into the past."

"I don't think they can win." Ravenna said, not for the first time that day. "This Cell is too powerful for them. Maybe if they'd had more time, another five or six years. Then, maybe. But now..."

"They'll win." her father said. "They have to. Everything is riding on them."

"What if they don't?" Ravenna asked, looking back at him and her mother. "What if..." she stopped, a gasp had come from some of the others in the room. Looking back she saw Trunks laying dead on the ground.

Raven spoke next, softly. "If it happens that things go poorly this time we'll have no choice but to back-shift a little and try and alter things." They all remained silent for several moments as they watched events unfold. 

As Goku died Ravenna let out a sigh. "Damn, and there it goes." she muttered.

"Don't give up just yet." Razor said from where he stood a few feet away. "We still have Gohan."

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Otherworld, Check-in Station Line:

Goku and Bardock had seen Sakura and Trunks as soon as they'd appeared in Otherworld. All four of them were rather depressed at the current flow of events. "I just wish there was some way to learn what was going on down there." Sakura said sadly.

"Oh, hey!" Goku cried. "There is a way! We'll have to break a few rules and bypass the line a bit though."

Bardock smiled. "King Kai!"

"Right!" Goku cheered.

"Goku! Bardock!" a familiar female voice called from behind them. Turning they saw Appla making her way over to them.

"Appla... you too?" Bardock asked frowning. "Damn it... this doesn't look good."

"Come on, we have to get to King Kai's." Goku said. "Grab on to me everyone." They did as he said and, a second later, they were standing on King Kai's small planetoid. The short Kai was just pulling his lawnmower into his garage as they appeared. "Hey, King Kai!" Goku called waving.

The Kai stopped and looked back. "Wha-Goku!?" he cried in shock. "Bardock? Appla? And... who are these two?"

"We need to see how things are going on Earth at the Cell Games." Bardock said walking toward him. "We thought you'd be the best way to look in on things."

"Cell Games?" King Kai asked confused. "What's that?"

Goku blinked. "You mean... you don't know what happening on Earth?" he asked. King Kai shook his head. "The Red Ribbon Army came back again, with Androids and Cyborgs more powerful than Frieza. And then Cell came back in time, just like Trunks and Sakura here, and now he's really strong and we were killed fighting him."

"What!?" the Kai asked wide-eyed. Suddenly his antenna twitched as he searched out Earth in the mortal realm. "Yikes!" he cried, his eyes going wide behind his sun glasses. "His power is... there's no way a mortal should be able to become that strong! He's almost as powerful as the Grand Kai!"

"Can we see how things are going?" Appla asked, worried for her son and grandson.

"Yes, yes, of course. Once this is over you'll need to explain things to me... And we'll need to speak with the Grand Kai. This is... this is not good. He could cause a breach... it could be set free..."

The five warriors weren't sure exactly what King Kai was babbling about but they were greatful for the ability to view Earth. Placing their hands on his back they looked just in time to see Gohan charge up toward Cell.

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Cell Games:

Gohan pulled to a stop and glared down at Cell. He was about to charge down at him again when a voice sounded inside his mind. -Gohan, stop!- 

He froze, eyes wide, and looked around. "D-daddy!? Wh-where are you?"

-I'm not there Gohan. I'm on King Kai's world with Bardock, Appla, Trunks, and Sakura. Listen to me Gohan, I know how you feel, but you can't beat him. Not now.-

"But... I have to try!"

-Gohan...- it was his grandmother speaking now. -Your power is amazing for someone your age. Even your skill is exceptional. But sometimes that's not enough.- He could hear her sigh though the telepathic link. -There's no choice but to go for the fall back plan and evacuate. Get Raditz and the Prince out of there and to the lookout. Summon Shenron and pull back.-

Gohan sighed and lowered his arms a little. His anger was still burning, hot as ever, but what they said made sense. Even his dad and his grandpa hadn't been able to stop Cell, how could he? He felt a twinge of power and looked, Videl was charging in to attack again. He watched as she reached him and put everything she had into her attacks but Cell didn't even notice them.

She moved around in front of him and went to kick him in the face but he slammed his fist into her stomach stopping her dead. Then his elbow shot into her back with a sickening crack and she plummeted toward the ground. Her aura sputtered and vanished as she fell out of Super Sai-jin seconds before hitting the Earth and smashing out a small crater. She was still alive, still concious, though in a lot of pain. Ignoring it she tried to pull herself back to her feet but found she couldn't move. 

"No." Gohan said softly, the anger burning up over his rationale. "I wont give up, I wont let him win, even a little." 

-Gohan!- came Goku's mental cry as, in a burst of gold, the young Super Sai-jin surged down in at Cell once more. Before he could even attack he was met with a knee to the stomach and then a double fisted blow to the back that slammed him down into the ground.

Gohan stood, holding his side, and coughed up blood. His vision blurred for a moment as he looked up at Cell again. /No, there has to be a way to stop him! There has to be!/ his mind cried as he looked around at his friends that were left.

"Now, if that's it for the interuptions." Cell said with a frown. "I have a planet to destroy."

Hotaru swallowed and closed her eyes as she grabbed Yamcha's hand, all she could think was that she should have sent her daughter to Tanaria until this was over. Tien closed his eyes as well and bowed his head silently appologizing to Chatozu, Vadora, and his unborn daughter. Piccolo clenched his fists feeling helpless as hopelessness washed over him as Sango did the same. Krillin stared on in fear as he watched Cell slowly floating higher up into the sky.

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Planet Namek:

Azura stood on a structure that had yet to be seen by anyone who had set foot on the world over which she watched. Namek's own Lookout. She had returned to her post, such as it was, after Parunga's departure. It was from here that she had followed the events on Earth, wishing with all of her heart that her code did not bind her from acting. Things had quickly gone from bad, to desperate, to hopeless. Even in her eyes.

And then, as she stood there watching Cell prepare to destroy the Earth... As she watched the Z Fighters, one by one, give up hope... As she watched nothing but determination and defiance on Gohan's face... She felt blossoming hope, deep down within her being. An ancient energy, long dormant and nearly forgotten, was beginning to return. And she smiled. 

"And so it awakens at last." she said softly. "The pivitol moment upon which all of Sai-jin existance hangs in the balance has come. The succesor of the Legacy has been chosen. I know of none better to wield that kind of power."

Focusing her mind she linked to the mind of Dende. -Do you hear me, Dende?-

-Azura... what? I was just about to...-

-Yes, I know. Don't.-

-But...-

-Trust me, Dende. Everything will work out.-

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Otherworld, King Kai's:

King Kai was beyond nervous. Events on Earth were... well, they were bad. He was torn between watching what happened and going to report to the Grand Kai. This was a major issue... major indeed. Perhaps enough for... yes, this was definately enough for intervention. Cell could not be allowed to destroy the Earth at any cost.

"Wha...?" Bardock wondered aloud as view of the Earth and the battle there vanished just as Gohan was slammed back into the Earth. "King Kai...?"

"Sorry, but I have to go to the Grand Kai's world right away, it's urgent." he explained. "Keep your hands on my back, I can take all of you as well. You'll be able to watch the battle from there."

The five glanced at each other but then returned their hands to King Kai's back. A second later the world around them vanished and they were standing on a new and much larger world. "Follow me." he said quickly as he made his way up the stairs and onto the front porch of a large house. The doors swung open as they neared and allowed them entry.

"There, use that." King Kai said pointing to what appeared to be a large mirror that took up the entire left wall of the room. The room itself was at least the size of King Kai's entire planet. "Just think of what you want to see and it will show you, I must go speak with the Grand Kai." he said, before walking off.

The five looked at each other again and then toward the mirror. It's surface shimmered and their reflections vanished. In their place was the Earth. The image shimmered again and then Cell and Gohan came into view once more as the boy reached eye level with Cell in the sky.

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Earth, Cell Games:

Gohan watched Cell until the Bio-droid stopped his ascent. As soon as he did the half Sai-jin shot up into the air as well, so that he was level with his opponent. "We're not finsihed yet." he said evenly. "You've killed too many people, I'm not going to let you get away with that."

"You can't stop me boy." Cell laughed. The Bio-droid pointed an arm at him and blue energy flared up in front of his palm. "But you are annoying me, so I'll get rid of you first."

Down on the ground Vegeta stirred and started climbing back to his feet. Feeling the powers above him he assumed either a weakened Goku or Bardock was still fighting Cell. His eyes widened in shock a moment later as he realized it wasn't either of the elder Sai-jins he was sensing but the young Gohan. /His power... but he's only a child!/ his mind cried.

"G-Gohan..." The child looked down toward the Earth, toward the voice he'd heard. Videl was still laying on her stomach looking up at him as best she could from her position. Her loudest voice barely enough to reach him where he floated. And he could see just how badly she was injured, see the way her back was twisted. And somehow, despite the distance between them, he could see the pain and fear etched on her face and the tears in her eyes.

He didn't even see Cell's energy attack coming but his arm shot up and slapped it away like it was nothing. Turning his head slowly, his eyes moving toward Cell's, his face hardened further. "No, Cell. You wont be killing anyone else..."

Vegeta shook his head to clear it. What he'd just seen couldn't have actually happened... could it? And then it occured again. One of the blue energy bolts in the sky bent down, toward the Earth, as though something was drawing it in. The Sai-jin Prince darted his eyes about across the sky and noticed that the energy bolts were coming more often in the area they were in than else where.

He also noticed that they were all seemingly being pulled in. Drawn along the underside of the tears that had formed them toward... something. A blinding flash drew his eyes back toward Gohan and he found that one of the bolts had actually snapped as it bent and was now dancing around the half Sai-jin. It lasted only a second and then vanished.

"Big words for such a little man." Cell responded. "And just how do you plan to stop me, boy?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "I don't know how yet. But I will." he said darkly. Images of all the battles he'd seen flashed through his mind. Of the people who'd protected him, some of them paying for that with their lives. The battle with Frieza stood out in his mind. No matter how bad things had gotten there had been hope because his dad was there. Now that he was gone...

The image of Videl laying on the ground, back broken and tears in her eyes, flashed into his mind, filled his vision. Over that he saw his grandmother sacrificing herself to save him, giving up her life for his. His anger boiled up higher and it was getting harder for him to keep his self control.

Another energy bolt arced down from above, snapped, and slammed into him tracing around his body before fading. His hair waved about as it had been for the last couple minutes as the look in his eys grew darker, deadlier. Cell merely smirked. "I think not." There was a flash of gold as he surged in at Gohan, his fist pulling back for the final leathal blow.

Gohan watched him and saw not just Cell but everyone he'd ever fought. Jaken, who'd threatened to kill his father. The brothers Kui and Kuwa who'd managed to do just that. Dodoria, who'd killed Piccolo. Zarbon, who'd killed a number of his friends, his grandma, and who'd tried to kill everyone on the planet. Recoome, who'd tried to kill him, Krillin, and Hotaru. Freeza, who almost killed Piccolo and had killed Krillin, Dende, and Hotaru. Sanil, who'd tried to kill him, Videl, and Piccolo. And Cell himself, who'd killed his father, his grandfather, and his grandmother and who had tried to kill everyone he cared about.

A spark of blue energy snapped about Gohan's aura, this time not from the time-space tears above him. Then, three more bolts shot down from above and arced about him as he threw his arms and head back and let out a primal scream. The blackness of the tears above him twisted and churrned. At first being pulled in toward him and then suddenly being pushed away. As the power rushed up through him and out of his body Cell's charge came to a hault as he was knocked flying backwards from the force. 


	34. The End of Perfection

Chapter Thirty-four - The End of Perfection

"You say there's a being on Earth with power nearing my own?" the Grand Kai asked, a bit skeptically.

"Yes, a creature named Cell, from the future." King Kai said nodding. "I'm not entirely sure of all the details yet, it just came to my attention a few moments ago."

"Well, now, let's take a look then." the other said as he stroked his beard. He brought his other arm up and waved it through the air. Behind them a large mirror hung above the door to the Grand Kai's meeting chambers shimmered and Earth appeared. The image shimmered again and showed Gohan facing off against Cell.

"You can't stop me boy." Cell laughed. The Bio-droid pointed an arm at him and blue energy flared up in front of his palm. "But you are annoying me, so I'll get rid of you first."

Behind his glasses the Grand Kai narrowed his eyes a little, his mind focusing on the world he was seeing through the mirror. "Oh, now that is..." he said after a moment. "I can see why you were worried North Kai. That is indeed beyond impressive." The Grand Kai wasn't just interested in this Cell being but in the mere child that surpassed any mortal he knew of, at least, living ones.

"North Kai, what of the boy?" he asked, as the boy in question spoke to Cell. "Who and what is he?"

"Oh, that's Gohan. He's the son of a pupil of mine who's out in the waiting chamber with a few others from this battle. He's a half Sai-jin."

"Ah, so this is the legendary Super Sai-jin then?" the Grand Kai asked nodding. "Impressive. And... wait, you said that his father is here? Out in the waiting chamber? Is he the Sai-jin half?"

"Well... yes... but I don't see how..."

"A Sai-jin that's been allowed to train under the Kais. That is a very rare occurance."

"Grand Kai, now isn't the time to be..."

"No, no, you're quite right." the powerful Kai said nodding. "Now is indeed not the time for such questions and considerations. We must make sure that..." He stopped as he felt a tug from the world before him. The tug of a shifting of power, a drawing and gathering of energy. And then Cell's charge toward the boy ended as he let loose a primal cry and his power began to surge skyward.

Outside in the waiting chamber the five dead warriors were watching the large mirror in shock as Cell was knocked away. Without King Kai's telepathic link to the living world they couldn't sense powers now but they could see clearly what was occuring, not that any of them had the faintest clue what it was. "What's... happening down there?" Appla asked in shock.

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Planet Vegeta, The Palace, Throne Room:

"Oh, Gohan..." Vadora said as she watched the child crying into Appla's armor. "So then, this is it."

King Vegeta didn't say anything as he watched Raditz unleash his own assault upon the powerful Cell. An assault that could have easily brought even his Oozaru form to its knees and yet yeilded almost no reaction from its target. As the Sai-jin fell from the sky he shared Vadora's sentiment. "They need to get to the Dragonballs." he said as he looked toward Pug. "Are the preparations ready?"

Pug nodded. "The missiles will launch by your voice authorization." he said. "Apartment complexes X2 through Z50 have been fully prepared for the refugees. We've only got the resources to sustain them all for two years, however."

"Be that as it may." King Vegeta said, his eyes turning back to the video screen. "They do need somewhere to go. Besides, I'm sure it's within the power of Porunga to restore a solar system. If not, we have several hundred worlds on file that could be suitable for Human inhabitation."

Vadora was about to speak again but stopped as she cringed from witnessing the kick Gohan took. "I don't... don't know if they'll make the wish." she said after a moment. "Gohan's got too much of his grandfather in him to give up a fight." Her eyes flicked over the others that were still on their feet. "Piccolo, too, wont give up until he's tried everything. Neither... will Tien."

"Dende will make the wish." Pug said. "I'm a bit suprised he hasn't."

"He'll only make it at the last second, when all hope is truly lost." King Vegeta said.

Vadora cringed again as Videl slammed into the Earth. From the quick shot she saw, before the view changed back to Cell again, she knew the girl's back was broken. Gohan launched in for another attempted attack and she heard Pug urging the boy to get out of there. She closed her eyes and hung her head as Cell floated up further to launch his own attack to destroy the Earth.

And then she felt something... off. Opening her eyes and looking up again she saw Gohan floating across from Cell looking down at the Earth. His power was bouncing back and forth between about 270 million and 280 million, with the larger number higher than his full power. Even the lower number was stronger than his current weakened level of just a moment before.

"Interesting." Vegeta said as he, too, noticed the power reading shfiting as Gohan slapped an energy blast away. "Vadora, what are you sensing?"

"Same as the scouters." she replied. "But it's... odd."

"How so?" Pug asked.

"The pattern is shifting. That distinguishing pattern that tells me it's Gohan is altering slightly."

Pug blinked. "Didn't you say you felt that every time any of them transformed? That the pattern was different between the two forms?"

Vadora nodded. "Yes, but... I don't understand why it's happening now..." And then a new rush of power surged through her mind as Cell was blasted backwards from Gohan, his charge coming to a sudden halt. The power reading for Gohan began to increase. 300,000,000... 350,000,000... 400,000,000... "Wh-what the hell!?" A loud whine began to sound from the computer as the numbers passed 485 million. And then, just before hitting 500 million the screens went blank as the system fried.

"What's going on?" Pug asked shocked.

"I... I think he's... transforming..." Vadora said slowly, still in shock.

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Unknown Location:

"You can't seriously think that a child could stop Cell?" Ravenna said turning to face her father. "Even Gohan..."

"It's possible." he replied with a shrug. "Gohan was always good at keeping up with me, so long as I pushed him. And that was in a time-line where the Guardian powers didn't exist." He smirked, the light glinting off his teeth as he stood and moved away from his shadowy seat. His gold eyes sparkled as he watched Videl fall from the sky. "Yes, I can feel the shifting. Watch closely Ravenna."

The girl glanced at her father and then back to the screen just in time to see Gohan's outburst of power. "What!?" she cried, wide-eyed. "That's not... but he's only a kid still!" 

Her father glanced over to her and then looked back at the screen. "And everything continues to go as planned."

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Tanaria, The Palace, Throne Room:

Things had looked bleak, especially after the deaths of Goku and Barock. Even after Gohan's arrival on the battlefield it seemed that all hope was lost. And then Videl went down and Cell took higher to the air to destroy the planet. "I shouldn't have let her go..." Sora said after a moment. "I should have made Sango stay here."

"You know as well as I do that she wouldn't have listened." Akira said. "She and your daughter are too much alike."

Sora sighed and nodded her head. "I suppose... you're right." she said. She was about to say more and then Gohan's power slammed into her mind. "Wh-what the..." she breathed. She wasn't the only one noticing either. The sounds from outside had gone, everyone had gone silent as they witnessed Gohan's... what/What's going on?/ she wondered. /Is... is he... transforming? Is... that possible? Is there a level beyond Super Sai-jin!?/

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Earth, Son Home:

"No... way... that's impossible." Bulma breathed as she watched the distorting space-time tears. Gohan was full on with his current out-burst, the entire planet was quaking from the force, but that wasn't what Bulma found impossible. Gohan's power was actually affecting the tears! "How can he..."

"Wha-what is it?" Hercule asked from where he sat on the floor with the still unconcious Chi-Chi.

"Gohan's affecting the space-time tears with his energy. That shouldn't be possible... even with the fabric of reality weakened at the point of the tears... the amount of power needed to actually affect space and time itself is..."

"Well within Gohan's reach now." Roshi said. "His power... exceeds that even of Cell..."

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Cell Games:

Cell pulled himself to a stop and watched as Gohan's golden aura swelled to massive size and surged about him savagely. The energy from the tears continued to surge down and around him and the dark nothingness above them rippled. And then a loud crack sounded high in the sky and, suddenly, the normal blue returned directly above Gohan. The blue worked out from there spreading out across the entire sky.

"He's destroyed the tear!" Cell cried in shock. His eyes quickly returned to the child before him. Gohan's muscles had become even more defined than a moment ago, easily seen through the tight gray bodysuit. His wild golden hair was slowly sticking straight up atop his head as it grew longer, only a single bang still hanging down over his face.

A spark of blue flashed around his aura followed by another. These weren't from the vanishing tear above but from the aura itself as it shifted. Cell caught minute shifts in Gohan's height as well. His arms, legs, and body grew adding a couple of inches to his height. And then, with one last scream and wash of power that cracked the Earth below them, it all finally ended.

Gohan lowered his head to look level with Cell again, a hard and determined gaze piercing through the Bio-droid. The change he'd just gone through wasn't just physical, it was mental, and Cell could see it in Gohan's eyes. A look that even had him scared. "What... what was that!?"

Gohan didn't answer, just started floating toward Cell, blue lightning crackling about his aura. Down below the others were staring at him in utter shock. "Is... is that... really Gohan?" Yamcha stammered.

"He's... transformed..." Vegeta said, barely above a whisper, as he stared on in shock. "But... but how... how is it possible? There's a form... beyond even Super Sai-jin!?"

"There's just... no way." Raditz said, wide-eyed. "His power is... it's impossible."

"Gohan..." Hotaru whispered. And then a smile crossed her lips. "He's finally taking my advice and using all of his power. Go get him Gohan."

Piccolo swallowed as he stared at the boy above him. "G... Gohan? I've... never seen that look in his eyes before..." he said, as a shiver ran down his spine. He'd not seen that look in Gohan's eyes before, but he had seen it before. In his own eyes, years and years ago. Somehow, it just looked wrong on Gohan.

Cell let out a loud growl of anger and annoyance and shot in at Gohan, pulling back his fist just as he had before. A second later there was a thunderous crack as the Bio-droid's elbow smashed into the boy's face. Gohan merely continued to float where he was, glaring at Cell, completely unphased by the attack.

The Bio-driod's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed again in frustration and anger. Pulling back a few feet he then snapped out with a kick that slammed into the side of Gohan's head and, once again, did nothing. Cell let out a loud cry of anger and frustration that matched the look in his eyes as he moved back quickly and thrust his arms out. A stream of orange energy shot out toward Gohan but the half Sai-jin suddenly vanished.

Cell's energy attack ended a second later as Gohan's foot smashed into his back and drove him down into the planet face first sending debris flying into the air. Cell dazedly pulled himself onto his hands and knees but was then smashed back down again as Gohan landed, knees first, on his back. The Bio-droid's mouth snapped wide in pain, his eyes doing the same.

The half Sai-jin then floated up and landed beside him as Cell tried, once more, to stand. This time Gohan's foot shot out into his stomach and sent him sailing through the air nearly three hundred yards before coming down and skidding along for another fifty rolling over several times. Finally he came to a stop on his back staring up at the sky.

"H-how is... this possible..." he said in shock, his eyes still wide and full of disbelief. "He is... only a child..." He pushed himself up into a sitting position slowly and painfully and looked toward Gohan. The boy was walking toward him at a casual pace, the same look on his face and in his eyes. "No! I will NOT lose to infant!" Cell cried, suddenly climbing back to his feet. "I'm going to kill you boy!" he roared, shooting in toward Gohan again.

His fist slipped passed Gohan's head as he tilted it to the side easily avoiding the attack. And then his knee shot up and smashed into Cell's abdomen. The Bio-droid stood there frozen, mouth hanging open as wide as it would go in pain. Gohan lowered his leg and then shot his arm out slamming his fist into the other's stomach. The blow knocked Cell back a dozen or so yards and he collapsed holding his stomach.

And then it started looking like he was going to puke and his power began to fluctuate. "Wha-what's happening?" Yamcha wondered, wide-eyed.

"Gohan's blow... it must have damaged him." Hotaru breathed.

And then his mouth opened wide and blonde hair poked out. "Is... is that 18!?" Krillin wondered. And then her head emerged slowly followed by the rest of her. Cell stood and stumbled backward, his body glowing. And then in a flash of orange he reverted back to his Semi-Perfect form.

"No way!" Yamcha cried, smiling. "He's changed back! Alright Gohan!"

Cell's eyes widened as he stared at Gohan and then glanced down toward 18. He made to move toward her but was stopped as Gohan kicked him in the face knocking him away again. As he landed and walked casually toward the other, Krillin ran out and pulled 18 back out of the way. Setting her down he looked back out toward the battle. Well, what had been the battle.

Cell was now stumbling backwards away from Gohan, his eyes wide in fear and disbelief. "This... this can't beeeee!" he cried. "I... I was PERFECT! He's only a CHILD!" The fear suddenly faded away and was replaced by anger and hatred that could rival that even in Gohan's eyes. "Fine! If I'm going to die... I'm going to take all of you with me! I'll just blow myself up and take out this entire planet!"

"What!? Oh no!" Yamcha cried, taking a step back. 


	35. Cell's Final Attack

Chapter Thirty-five - Cell's Final Attack

"My, my, my." The Grand Kai said watching the images on the mirror. "This is impressive indeed."

"I don't... believe it." King Kai stuttered as he saw what was happening. "I'd... always thought that... the second form was... just myth."

"Yes, well, you weren't around the last time it happened." the Grand Kai said. "Hadn't been born yet, you know. It was a long time ago, and you're, what, only a hundred thousand?"

"Hundred thousand and six." he corrected.

"Right, hundred thousand and six. It's been millions of years since I've seen this. And that was right here on my world, just after I got here in fact. I think... we shall see how things go from here..." he said, just as Gohan launched his first attack.

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Namek, Lookout:

Azura had watched Gohan's transformation with a mix of awe and curiosity. She had felt the powers awakening, the returning of the Legacy... and then it had faded. That boost, that rush of energy, mixed with Gohan's own innate power, had triggered something different to occur. Namek's Guardian was truly in awe of this child now. Even with the Guardian Powers once again dormant, his power had grown and exceeded that of Cell's.

As far as she could remember, in all the millions of years that she had lived, none living had ever transcended beyond Super Sai-jin. There had been the one in the afterlife, nearly five million years before, but that was, as far as she could recall, it. Gohan had unlocked power that was far more elusive and far more potent than Super Sai-jin.

She understood, now, why she hadn't been able to reveal Gohan's full power on Namek. Laying dormant within him had been more power than she could have imagined then. And now, hiding in the same place this power had once hidden, were the sleeping powers of the Guardian Sai-jin. She had never witnessed a partial awakening of them before, or an awakening of them within one who was already a Super Sai-jin. She had no idea what this might mean later, if the powers ever did truly awaken.

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Cell Games:

Cell hunched over and began to gather his energy but stopped a second later as Gohan suddenly appeared right in front of him. His eyes widened again but before he could do anything the young Super Sai-jin had knocked him into the sky. Gohan then appeared above him and slammed his elbow into his stomach knocking him back down again. Appearing below him, he snapped out a kick to his back knocking him up once. The again he was above him and a punch to the face knocked Cell back into the ground.

This time Gohan's assualt wasn't over as golden energy sparked to life in his hands. A second later the energy was raining down on the fallen Cell. The explosions as they impacted filled the sky with dust and shook the ground for hundreds of miles. After a moment the barrage of blasts stopped and the child cupped his hands at his side, blue light flaring to life between them. "Kamehameha!" he cried, thrusting his arm down.

The blue beam of Ki surged down into the dust cloud and slammed into its target before swelling massively and then exploding. The Z Fighters below were blown over by the force of the explosion and shakily got to their feet as the after effects subsided. "There's no way he survived that!" Krillin said smiling.

"Tsk, use your brain." Vegeta said brushing dust off his shoulders. "Gohan barely put a fraction of his strength into that. It wasn't meant to kill him."

"He's right." Tien said. "I can feel Cell's energy going up again."

Suddenly the dust clouds were blasted apart as Cell let out a rush of energy, his damaged body reforming the missing parts. Panting he looked back up to Gohan, both anger and fear in his eyes. Once again the half Sai-jin vanished only to appear in front of the Bio-droid slamming his knee into the other's face and driving him backward again.

The half Sai-jin landed only a foot away looking up at Cell. Then the Bio-droid's look of fear suddenly vanished and a smirk replaced it. His tail shot out for the boy's neck. However, the child movevd in and slammed his elbow into Cell's stomach knocking the powerful warrior back again.

Gohan moved after him and slammed a foot into his gut, spun, and kicked him in the abdomen with the other foot knocking him over onto his back. He then flipped in the air and dropped down driving both feet into his stomach. Back flipping off and landing on the ground again he watched as Cell covered his mouth, his body pulsing again as it had before.

"N-no way." Vegeta said in disbelief as he felt Cell's power fluctuating. "He's... going to revert back again!"

Sure enough, a second later, Cell rolled over onto his hands and knees and 17's head emerged from his mouth. Soon followed by the rest of him. And then his body began to morph and shift as it returned to it's Imperfect state. Gohan didn't even wait this time, as soon as Cell was done puking up the cyborg he shot in and kicked him in the side of the head knocking him even further from the others.

"I've got him!" Sango called dashing out and grabbing the unconcious 17 and pulling him back to safety.

"Out of the way!" Vegeta ordered turning toward the two and pointing an arm at 17, blue energy sparking to life in front of his palm. "The other one may have sided with us but that one didn't!"

"So what?" Sango demanded, glaring up at him.

"You weren't here..."

"What's it matter now, anyway? You're all stronger than him by now." she returned.

"Let him be, Vegeta." Gohan said from where he still stood. His voice was low, barely even audible to the Humans or two Tanarians. But Vegeta and Piccolo both heard the edge to it, and the Sai-jin prince hesitated. Finally the energy vanished and he lowered his arm.

Gohan started his walk toward Cell again, his pace slow and calm. "I've had enough of this. It's time you paid for what you've done." he said, his eyes narrowing.

"No! I wont lose to you!" Cell cried shooting up into the air. "I will destroy this planet! I will wipe it out and everything on it!"

"Try it."

Cell smirked as best he could with his beak of a mouth. "You forget, boy, I'm made of the cells of the greatest fighters in the galaxy. I know all that they know. Allow me to introdcue you to an attack I've just devised." His legs spread out as he raised his arms above his head. "I call it the Wakusei Spirit Bomb! Now, planet, surrender your energy to me!"

"Ugh, no, it can't be!" Piccolo cried in disbelief. "Gohan, you have to stop him!"

Gohan said and did nothing as he watched Cell. The air around the Bio-droid was shimmering slightly, blue, green, and red energy flowing up into the sky above him. It didn't take long for the coalescing energy to start to take form, the attack growing steadily and steadily stronger. "The Spirit Bomb as it was known by Goku is not a technique I could use." Cell said, looking down at them.

"But thanks to some knowledge I gained from absorbing Sakura's DNA, namely her Wakusei Reikon Kougeki technique, I can create my own version of the two that is quite effective!"

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Otherworld, Grand Kai's World, Waiting Chamber:

"No..." Sakura said softly as she watched the attack forming. "Come on Gohan, don't just stand there!"

"Gohan..." Appla said softly as the image changed to show his face. "He's been completely consumed by his anger..."

Goku looked around. "Damn it, where's King Kai!?" Spying a set of doors at the other end of the hall he turned from the mirror and made his way toward them. The others watched him for a moment and then quickly followed after him. A second later they pushed the door open and stepped into the large chamber of the Grand Kai.

"Huh?" King Kai said, blinking, as he looked at the others. "Goku? You guys can't just come charging in here, this is the Grand Kai's main chamber!"

"I need to talk to Gohan!" Goku demanded, more than said. The short Kai blinked, he wasn't used to Goku being quite this forceful.

"Then speak." The Grand Kai said. "If you wish to talk to someone, all you must do while in this room is speak. They will hear your voice and theirs will come here for us to hear as well."

Goku nodded. "Gohan. Can you hear me?" he asked softly.

"Father?!" came the shocked reply.

"Listen to me Gohan, you have to stop him, now. Before he can fully charge his attack."

"I can stop anything he can throw at me."

It was Bardock that spoke next. "Don't let your power go to your head, Gohan. Cell did, and look at what's happened to him."

Trunks picked up from there. "This isn't like you Gohan, you fight to protect people, always have. You can end it all now."

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Cell Games:

The Z Fighters watched as Gohan, apparently, talked to himself. "No, he has to pay."

-Gohan...- It was Appla's voice now. -Look at yourself for a moment. Look real good. Do you recognize yourself right now, the way you're acting? I don't. This isn't you, Gohan. Not to speak bad about my prince but, you're acting more like Vegeta than yourself. More like...-

-Like Frieza.- came Sakura's voice. Her words drifted through his mind as he remembered the battle with Frieza. And as he did, he compared it to his fight with Cell. Sure, the motives were different but... the actions...

His gaze softened visably, the anger in his eyes fading away considerably and his features relaxing. As it faded his senses began to return to him. "I... I didn't..."

-It's ok, Gohan.- Goku said. -When I first transformed on Namek it took everything I had to keep the anger from taking over. It wasn't until I knew you were alive again that it left enough for me to think 100 clearly.-

-Gohan, stop him, before he's finished.- Trunks said. -Don't give him the chance to make all of this for nothing.-

Gohan nodded. "Right. I won't. And... thank-you." Shifting positions he cupped his hands at his side, blue energy sparking to life between his palms. "Kaaaaaaaameeeeeeee... haaaaaaaameeeeeeee... haaaaaaaa!" The blue beam of energy surged up at Cell but the creature simply grinned. Suddenly the wave of Ki, which had been going directly toward Cell, changed course for the forming energy.

"What!?" Gohan cried in shock. As the Ki hit the forming energy it merged with it, adding to the power of Cell's attack. The large ball of energy flashed once and then solidified as it finished forming. A giant, swirling, pulsing ball of green, blue, and red Ki. And with a cry Cell brought his arms down and the attack began it's descent.

Cell had managed to gather up quite a lot of energy from the planet around him. And from Gohan's one attack. The boy could feel the power, it was greater than he was. His grandfather had been right. He'd let the power he had now go to his head, just as Cell had done, and now that action was going to come back and bite him in the ass. This attack was enough to kill him, and take the Earth out with it. 

With the time-space tears gone thanks to the power of his transformation... if Cell survived he'd be able to get to other worlds. And he'd be the strongest one out there too, no one would be left to stand against him. Gohan shook his head as he watched the large attack nearing slowly. 

/No, I wont let everything they've done be for nothing. I wont let grandma's sacrifice be for nothing./ he thought. /But... how do I stop it? He could probably just absorb another Kamehamea into it again, and then I'll be in even worse shape. I need something he can't... That's IT! It's not as stable of an attack so it'll be harder for him to channel it's energy into his attack!/

Grinning, Gohan raised his arms above his head and crossed his palms. Orange-gold energy flared to life before his hands, pulsing and growing as he channeled more power into it. "Maaaaaaasennnnnnnnkooooooo..." he called, the attack from Cell drawing closer and closer. The attack was nearly on him, only a few yards up now. Quickly he brought his arms down from above his head and thrust them out and up toward the attack. "Haaaaaaaaa!" he cried, the energy before his hands erupting into a stream of power and surging toward its target.

The half Sai-jin felt a slight tug on his beam just before it hit Cell's energy bomb. He'd been right, the Bio-droid was attempting to use what he'd learned from Sakura to channel the Masenko into his attack. But the Masenko's energy pattern was far to unstable for him to manipulate it as easily as he had the Kamehameha.

The energy bomb was absorbing a very small portion of the attack but not enough to matter in the slightest. Gohan grinned and continued focusing more of his power into the beam. It was still too weak to hold off the bomb. But second by second it's power climbed and climbed, and then the two attacks stalled one another.

"No, you wont be stopping me child!" Cell called, thrusting his arms down and adding his own strength to the force of the attack's descent. The added power began pushing it back down against the Masenko and it started nearing the Earth once more.

"We have to help somehow..." Hotaru said swallowing. The backwash of power from the clash of the attacks was making it hard for her to stand. Yamcha was holding on to her to stop from being blown away and Krillin was standing behind her, using her as a wind breaker.

Vegeta glanced over to her and then smirked. "The Tanarian has a point. Why are we just standing here?" He glanced over to Piccolo. "Even you're stronger than Cell now."

Piccolo turned his head and spat, a smirk forming. "Damn right. Let's go!" There was a flash of green around him, the ground beneath his feet cracked, and then he was off. A second later Vegeta followed after him in a burst of gold. And then, silver energy trailing behind her, Hotaru followed them. With Hotaru's sudden depature Yamcha, Krillin, and the still unconcious 18 were blown backward over a hundred yards to where the others had already retreated.

Cell saw the three streaks of light coming and immediately realized the danger. In his current state, thanks to the damage this child had done, all three of them were stronger than him, and capable of destroying him. Keeping one hand down toward the Wakusei Spirit Bomb he pointed the other toward the three nearing warriors and fired a volley of energy blasts. They were all easily deflected or dodged however.

And then all three zipped passed and above him. "Time for you to die Cell!" Vegeta called down.

Hotaru's voice accompained Vegeta's. "It's payback time Cell!"

"Good riddance!" Piccolo called.

Together the three of them pulled their arms back, orange energy flaring around Hotaru's hands, gold around Vegeta's, and green around Piccolo's. And then they thrust their arms down firing off powerful streams of energy. Cell's eyes widened as he tried to think of a way to escape, and then he heard a loud cry from below. Looking down again he saw Gohan's attack swell up in size as more energy was forced along it. And then his own attack was coming back at him.

"NO!" He cried, his head turning back and forth between the attacks. "NO! This can't BEEEE!" And then all the attacks slammed into him. His variation on the Spirit Bomb swelled and then exploded savagely blinding everyone for a moment. And as the glare faded they could feel it. Cell's Ki was finally and completely gone. The battle was over. 


	36. Return to the Future

Chapter Thirty-six - Return to the Future

All five dead warriors closed their eyes and let out relieved sighs as they felt Cell's energy shift planes. It was over at last. "I still... don't get it." Trunks said after a moment, opening his eyes. "What happened to Gohan out there? I mean..." he stopped, not really sure what he meant. He knew what happened but at the same time his brain just wasn't accepting it.

"The second level of Super Sai-jin." the Grand Kai said simply. "That boy is only the second in all of existance to have ever reached that stage. And the first to ever do it while still alive." He looked the five of them over for a moment. "The five of you are more than welcome to stay here and continue your training." he said at last. "To have tried to fight that creature..." he trailed off.

"Thanks for the offer." Sakura said, bowing lightly. "But we're not staying long."

"Well, you're not." Appla said looking at them. "Goku and I are here for good. We've both been wished back twice already. That's all we get."

"I'm staying as well." Bardock said.

"Are you sure?" Trunks asked.

Bardock nodded. "I know Raditz and Gohan will understand. I'm going to stay here and train with Goku and Appla."

"Er, what?" the Grand Kai interrupted. "You all have me lost."

It was King Kai who explained. "The Earth has a set of Dragonballs. They'll surely be summoning the Eternal Dragon soon to revive those who died because of Cell." He paused and tilted his head slightly. "Though, I don't know what they mean about having been wished back twice..."

"King Kai... don't you pay attenion to anything?" Goku asked. The short Kai was about to make an indignant remark to that but was cut short by the Grand Kai's laughter.

Appla looked up at the mirror again. It was now showing the Z Fighters on their flight to the Lookout. "When... you go back. Could you... give Raditz and Gohan a message for me?" she asked, looking toward the two time travelers.

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

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Earth, Son Home:

"They did it!" Roshi cried as soon as he felt Cell's Ki vanish.

"You mean... you mean it's over?" Hercule asked looking over to the bald man. Roshi simply nodded.

"Oh, thank Kami." Bulma said softly. "Come on, we should head to the Lookout guys, that's where they're going to go to summon Shenron." She lifted the baby Trunks up in her arms and took the young Sakura's hand. "Hercule, could you carry Chi-Chi out to the air car?"

"Sure."

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Planet Vegeta, The Palace, Throne Room:

"Is... it finally over?" Chaotzu asked softly. It was the first time he'd spoken since the fighting had begun.

Vadora placed a hand on his small shoulder and smiled down at him, the relief evident in her eyes and reflected in his. "It's over. He made it through."

"I still can't believe that kid's power." Toma said after a moment. "It was... amazing."

King Vegeta nodded. "A second level... of Super Sai-jin. That's certainly not in any of the legends."

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Cell Games:

Gohan lowered his arms, panting, and stared up at the sky for a moment. And then his hair turned black and fell. And so did he. "Gohan!" Piccolo called worried, shooting down and landing beside him. He'd broken out in sweat and his Ki had dropped low, but it was stable.

"He's probably just exhausted." Yamcha said as he walked over toward the two of them.

"It's more mental than physical, I think." Hotaru said softly, as she landed beside Yamcha. "After everything that's happened over the last few hours it's understandable."

There was silence for a moment as everyone gazed either at Gohan or the blue sky above them. "Time to regroup back at the lookout." Piccolo said at last. He bent down and picked up Gohan and glanced around as the others still laying about were picked up as well. 

Vegeta had picked up Trunks' body. Yamcha had gone over and gotten Appla's. Tien had picked up the still unconcious Raditz. Hotaru had carefully picked up the battered Videl. Sango had 17 in her arms and Krillin had 18. He looked around some more, his eyes going over everything. The landscape was tottally decimated for at least two miles in every direction. He wasn't even sure where the ring had been, originally, at this point.

With a sigh he lifted into the air and started the flight to the Lookout, the others trailing behind him, each at their own distance and pace. No one was in any real hurry to reach their destination. The flight was made in silence and it took them almost twenty minutes to get there. By the time they landed Raditz was concious again, though Gohan was still resting. Those unable to stand were laid down on the floor.

Dende was waiting for them at the Lookout's center, standing over the Dragonballs. "We'll wait, just a moment longer." he said, walking over to them. "The others are on their way." He stopped a few feet from Hotaru who was still gently laying Videl down. Once she was on the floor Dende knelt over her, held his hands over her body, and set to work mending her broken back. It took a few moments, it was no minor injury he was fixing, but soon she was back on her feet again. As soon as she stood she moved over to where Gohan lay resting and sat down beside him.

Everyone turned and looked at the sound of a groan. 18 was starting to stir. Opening her eyes she sat up and rubbed her head. "What... where..." she started, looking around.

"Hey, are you... ok?" Krillin asked, holding a hand out to help her up.

"What... happened?"

"Gohan kind of... well, you see, Cell..."

"Cell's dead." Piccolo said, cutting off the short Human's stammering.

18 looked around and then saw 17 laying a few feet away by Sango. She took Krillin's hand and pulled herself to her feet and went over to where he was. As she knelt down beside him, Bulma's air boat topped the side of the Lookout and landed on the edge of it. Raditz hadn't been the only one to come back to conciousness since the end of the Cell Games, as Chi-Chi's voice could attest to. "Gohan!" she cried, jumping out of the vehicle and running over to where he lay.

Hercule wasn't too far behind her, either, as he made his way over to Videl. Bulma, meanwhile, went straight to where Trunks' body lay, the baby Trunks still in her arms. Meanwhile Roshi led the young Sakura over to her mother. Dende moved aside from the others and back over to the Dragonballs.

"He'll be fine." Piccolo said, glancing back at Chi-Chi who was kneeling over her son. "He just needs time to rest."

"Well, we are all here now." Dende said, gazing over the group. "I suppose, it's time to do what we can. We must... phrase our wish carefully."

Piccolo nodded as he looked back toward the other Namek. "We need to revive those who were killed when Gero first appeared, not just those killed at the Cell Games."

"What about reviving those killed by Gero's creations?" Yamcha asked. "Would that work?"

"Wouldn't that bring back 19 though?" asked Krillin. "I mean, 18 did take him out."

"I don't think so." 18 said, shaking her head. "He wasn't really alive. He was entirely machine."

Piccolo nodded. "Right, no soul. I'd say Yamcha's idea is the best wish we can make."

"We'll still need the Namek Dragonballs later to revive Bardock." Hotaru said, thoughtfully. "We used the Earth ones to restore him after the Budokai, before Zarbon came. But, at least everyone else will be back."

"Ok. It's time." Dende said with a nod, holding out his arms. "Arise, Eternal Dragon Shenron, and grant our wish!" As his voice echoed over the lookout the Dragonballs began to glow fiercely. The sky above them darkened and clouds began to form. Lightning flashed and then a burst of light surged into the sky sending wind gusting out around them.

Those who had not yet seen Shenron, and even those who previously had, stared up at him in awe as he took form above them. Moments later the glow faded away and the large green Dragon gazed down at them. "You who have called me to this plane, speak now and I shall grant any one wish within my power." his voice boomed.

Piccolo was the first to find his voice and so, it was he that made the wish. "We wish to revive all those killed by Dr. Gero's creations this passed month!"

Shenron's eyes began to glow but it lasted only a moment and then stopped. "Your wish cannot be granted."

"What!?" Krillin yelled up. "Why not!?"

"Easy, Krillin." Dende said. "Shenron, we understand that Goku and Bardock were revived once by you already. We do not mean to include them in the wish."

The Dragon made a small grunt and seemed to nod in it's understanding. Once more his eyes began to glow. It lasted longer this time, a couple of moments, and then faded away. "There. It has been done. Those who died and could be restored live once more. And now, I bid you farewell." Suddenly the Dragon's body began to glow brighter and brighter and those gathered had to soon look away so as not to be blinded.

And then in a brilliant flash Shenron was gone, the seven Dragonballs floating up into the air. They stopped a good distance up, flashed once, and then zipped out toward the horizons. As they left the light returned to the sky and the clouds vanished. Now, standing where the Dragonballs had been only a moment ago, was Sakura. As they noticed her presence, Trunks groaned and sat up holding his head.

"Couldn't Shenron have done something about this splitting headache?" he muttered as he pulled himself to his feet. Bulma was hugging him instantly and crying into his damaged armor. It didn't take long before Hotaru was holding Sakura too.

It was several moments before everyone calmed down enough for either time traveler to be able to say anything. Sakura moved over to Gohan and knelt down beside him. "That was incredible Gohan." she said, even though she wasn't sure he could hear her. "I never... would have expected you to be the one to stop them."

Trunks placed a hand on her shoulder as he stood behind her. "He always did seem to find power from nowhere when it really mattered." he said. "My guess is... His death was so fast in our time-line that he just wasn't pushed enough for the transformation."

Sakura nodded. "Neither Gero or 16 are ones to toy around in a fight." she said standing up again and turning to face the others. "Anyway, we were... asked to give you guys a message. Appla had one for Gohan and Raditz, so does Bardock. And Goku... has one for everyone." She took a deep breath before continuing. "First, Bardock doesn't want you to revive him."

"What?" Raditz asked, shocked. "Why not?"

It was Trunks that answered. "He didn't specifically say the reason but... I could see it. He didn't want to come back without Appla."

Raditz sighed and nodded. He should have realized his father wouldn't come back if staying was the only way to stay with Appla. He was too emotional for a Sai-jin, at times. Though, he supposed having been with her for over 40 years would have made a strong bond.

"What about Goku and Appla?" Bulma asked.

Sakura nodded. "Well. Appla wanted to let you know..."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

May 27th, Capsule Corp:

The service had ended a little over three hours ago. King Vegeta had called for a formal one to occur on Planet Vegeta next month, to give people time to attend, but those on Earth decided to hold their own first. Friends and Family that was already on world only, and Capsule Corp's security personnel had been turning away camera crews all morning.

18 and 17 had both dissappeared shortly after 17 came to. No one had been sure where the two of them had gone, but the suprising thing had been when they'd turned up at the service. 17's arrival there, more so than 18's, had been the real shocker. 

But the Cyborg had his own reasons for going. He may not have known Goku or the others, but they had changed his life quite a bit. And somehow, he saw this service as finally marking the end of that old life and a chance to start a new one.

Gohan had been a bit down when he first heard that Bardock was going to stay in Otherworld. But that had only lasted until he'd heard his father and grandmother's messages, and the rest of Bardock's. Knowing that they were proud of him had lifted his spirits quite a bit. 

Of course, Chi-Chi hadn't been too thrilled with part of the message. The part where Goku and Bardock left Gohan in charge of protecting the planet. She knew the training would cut into his studies but she wasn't going to complain about it. She just couldn't see saying no to the last request of the two Sai-jins like that.

At some point during the service 18 had wandered off, and Krillin had been the first to notice. Not long after that he'd disappeared from the small gathering as well. No one had seen either of them since then, and it had been almost three hours. They weren't the only guests missing, either. 17 and Sango had both vanished at some point as well. Hotaru couldn't really place when she'd noticed them gone, they just had been.

The service hadn't been all sadness, though. Everyone had told stories about the three that they'd lost. And while it had hurt at first, to realize that they'd never have new stories to tell, it was soothing to look back on all the good times. And then the phone had rang, one of the doctors from West City Central Hospital was calling.

Chi-Chi had gone in the day after the Cell Games had ened because she wasn't feeling too well. She'd insisted it was just because of circumstances, that in a few days it would go away. Bulma wouldn't listen and with a little help from Hotaru, had dragged the woman to the hosptial. Now they had answers for why she felt sick. She was pregnant. That news had lifted spirits quite a bit.

Now, it had all come to a close and the final good-byes to two other people were underway. Trunks and Sakura stood in the courtyard of the Capsule Corp compound, their time machine sitting behind them. It was time for them to go home and deal with matters there. "You be careful, you hear me?" Bulma said, hugging Trunks.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Sakura said.

"Well, he'd better keep one on you too." said Hotaru as she hugged her daughter. "Don't be strangers, come back and visit us now and again, ok?"

"Sure thing." Trunks said with a nod. "We'll see about coming back every year around now." He turned toward the time machine and stopped, turning his eyes up to the sky. 

Sakura stood beside him and looked at him for a moment. "What is it?"

"Huh? Oh... it's nothing. Just... it hit me, you know. The Earth is still here and in pristine condition. It's not a wasteland like in our time. The Androids are all gone, the universe is safe. And we have the power to save our time now too."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Let's go home." 


	37. End of Gero's Legacy

Chapter Thirty-seven - End of Gero's Legacy

Bulma sighed as she slipped the last of the dishes into the cabinet. Things had been peaceful over the last several days. That was a relief, at least. But she was still worried. It had been more than two weeks now, since they'd left. She hadn't expected them to be gone this long. They'd only been gone a few hours the first time.

Still, she knew this trip would be longer than the last. They'd planned on staying until the end. She was just worried what that end could be. Turning around she saw Chi-Chi packing the leftovers from dinner into the fridge, Hercule was back to trying to fix the TV so that they could get some kind of signal from the rest of the galaxy, and Roshi was staring out the front window at the purple sky.

Her heart skipped a beat and lodged into her throat a second later as a computerized voice chimed. "Incoming time-distortion detected. Incoming time-distortion detected." That could mean only one thing, they were coming back! All four Humans dropped what they were doing instantly and moved to the front door. Hercule reached it first and pulled it off its hinges in his hurry to get outside. The others were soon behind him.

A second later the sky above them distorted and a shape began to take form. The time machine was back. It lowered to the ground slowly and the doors opened a moment later. Trunks and Sakura emerged and smiled at those gathered to greet them. "We're home." Sakura said.

"You've changed." said Roshi as he gazed at them. "I can feel it as much as see it."

"A lot happened while we were back in the past." Trunks said.

"How... did things go?" Hercule asked. "Did you... were you able to make a difference?"

"And then some." Sakura answered. "They're all safe now, the Androids are defeated. Now it's just a matter of getting rid of the ones here. Where are the others at?"

It was Chi-Chi that answered. "Sango and Aiko are off in the south forest gathering food. Last I saw of Yuki and Kazuki they'd gone off with Kavar to train some more. That was... at least a week ago."

Sakura nodded. "We'll talk to them later, then." she turned and looked toward Trunks. "What do you say we get this over with?"

"The sooner they're gone, the better." he replied. "Let's go end this."

"W-wait... You're going... to face them already?" Bulma asked. "You can't! There's no way..."

"It's ok mom." Trunks said, smiling at her. "We can handle them now. Don't worry." He gave Sakura another glance and then the two shot off into the distance quickly becoming nothing more than specks of light. As they flew Trunks touched a button on his watch and the purple sky before them shimmered slightly. A second later the two had passed through the shimmering and were flying under a pink sky. Behind them there was no trace of the purple sky or the makeshift homes they'd just been flying over.

Bulma had managed to create a holographic projection over the entire refugee village to hide them right under Gero's nose, on the very planet he'd taken as his capital. The little village was only about an hour's flight from Gero's compound and that's where the two were heading. "How should we handle this?" Sakura asked.

"We need to be weary of their upgrades, especially Gero's." Trunks said thoughtfully. "And we should make sure they've only gotten one, otherwise they could be even more powerful."

Sakura nodded. She'd thought of that as well. "Shouldn't be too much trouble, with both of us there."

"Right."

The two made the rest of the flight in silence. It was nearly an hour later that the large structure of Gero's central compound came into view. It was from here that Gero ruled the galaxy. As they approached they noticed someone floating in the sky ahead of them, waiting for them. Of course, they'd not supressed their energies much during the trip so Gero would have seen them coming.

A second later they both pulled to a stop in bright flashes of light. "Tao." Trunks said, crossing his arms. "So, you're all the welcoming committee we get? I'm hurt."

"I am more than enough to deal with the likes of you. If you do not wish to die, leave now."

Trunks smirked. "We have a couple questions first. Well, no, only one. How many upgrades have guys received over the years?"

"What? I don't see any reason I should..."

"It's a simple question." Sakura interrupted. "We're just... curious."

"Very well, if it'll make you go away, we've all been upgraded once. Dr. Gero's still working on the next upgrades. So, as you see, you have no ch..."

"That's just what we were hoping to hear." Trunks said as he flashed gold. Before Tao even realized the boy had transformed a golden wave of Ki engulfed and incinerated him. Lowering his arm again the two waited in silence for the retaliation they knew would be coming. They didn't have to wait long. Soon a small army of sentinels had surrounded them and Androids 13 through 16, as well as Gero, were floating up to meet them.

"I am very impressed." Gero said, gazing at Trunks. "Your power exceeds anything I dreamed a living creature could attain. I have to say, I'm interested to know how you got so powerful."

"We went on a little vacation." Sakura said. "Put a stop to you and your Androids before you could even conquer the galaxy. Now it's time to fix things here, in our time." She roamed her eyes over the four Androids before her. "I take it that it was 19 that 18 took out, after Goku died."

"How...?"

"Like she said, we've been there." Trunks said, crossing his arms. "Interesting though, I don't see 17, never have."

"17 was failure, just as uncontrollable as his sister." 15 said. "So we eliminated him a long time ago."

"Well, one less for us to destroy, at least." Sakura said. "So, why don't the four of you do your little merger thing so we can get this over with."

"You know of Super 13?" Gero asked, shocked.

"Time-travel can enlighten anyone." Sakura said grinning. "Now, merge, so I can destroy you again."

"Very well, girl." 13 said. "If you wish to die then we shall oblige." The Androids began to glow and then the merger process they'd witnessed in the past played out before them once more. "Super 13 at your service."

"Not for long." Sakura said as her body began to glow. It only took a moment for the transformation to her second form to complete. "Sanjuu Kinryoku!" Her silver aura flared up and in a flash she shot forward and smashed through Super 13's body shattering it completely. As Gero watched in shock and disbelief Trunks appeared beside him and kicked him in the side of his head ripping it off his body.

"Well, that was easy." Sakura said, tilting her head to the side. "A little... anti-climactic though. Especially after the Cell Games."

Trunks just shook his head and pointed a palm down toward the large compound below them. "Now, to end this once and for all. A little gift... from my father. Big Bang Attack!" The golden orb of Ki surged down and into the building. A second later the entire thing exploded violently shaking the planet. And then the Sentinels began to fall from the sky, the central computer that controlled them no more.

He started lowering his arm and was about to power down when sparks started surging along the rubble of the building. The energy was all coursing along to a single point somewhere near the middle of the debris. The two time-travelers exchanged glances with each other then turned to face whatever was happening. A second later the debris exploded skyward and a person emerged from the rubble.

Or at least, part of a person. He was large and metallic grey, the sunlight glistening off his solid metal body. What body there was. There were no legs and only a left arm, exposed wires emerged from where the missing arm and legs should have been. His right eye looked normal but his left was silvery and glowed blue. There was no hair on his head, only more exposed wiring.

"A... new model?" Trunks wondered in shock.

"At least he didn't get to finish it." Sakura said, readying for a fight. "Hopefully, that means it's not that powerful..."

"I am Android 52 - Android 25." it declared, its voice heavily mechanical and the tone fluctuating randomly. "You are tresspassing on Red - on Red - on Red Ribbon property. Leave - Leave at once - once or be destroyed."

"I'll handle this." Sakura said, blasting off toward the partially completed machine. Her silver aura trailed behind her as she flew and, a moment later, she reached her target. Her leg snapped out in a kick for its head but the machine's one arm came up and blocked the attack with a loud clang.

"Resistance is - is - Resistance is futile. You will be destroyed - destroyed."

Sakura floated back grimacing at the pain in her leg. Trying to kick this thing was like trying to kick a fully powered Goku without powering up yourself. "Damn it... that hurt." she muttered. Before she could move again Android 25's metallic fist backhaned her and knocked her sailing back toward Trunks again.

He shot in and caught her quickly. "Guess he's stronger than he looks." he said, letting her go so she could fly on her own again. "Damn it, I hadn't expected something new."

"It may be strong but its got a lot of weak points." Sakura said, rubbing her leg. "We just have to get an attack in through one of the exposed sections, blow it up from the inside."

"Right." There were twin flashes of light, one gold and one silver, as the two warriors shot off in opposite directions arcing out around the machine. Trunks gathered energy in his hands quickly and unleashed a volley of blasts to distract it. As it turned its attention toward him Sakura surged in again. Pulling back her arm, she gathered energy around her fist. As soon as she was close enough her arm shot out straight for the opening where the Android's missing arm should have been.

There was a flash of light and then several energy blasts slammed into her and knocked her back. It took her a second to recover and she looked up confused. 25 was no longer floating where he'd been. "Wha-what the?" she wondered, looking around. Then she saw him. "TRUNKS! Behind you!"

The half Sai-jin whirled around just in time to receive a fist to the face that sent him crashing down into the ground. Sakura shot down and landed beside him as he was picking himself up off the ground. "How the hell did he...?"

Trunks wiped some blood off his mouth before answering. "He can teleport somehow." he explained. "There was a flash of light and then he was gone."

"So, that was your energy that hit me then." she said in understanding.

He nodded. "Ya, sorry about that. So, now what do we do? He's faster, stronger, and he can teleport. And since he's a machine the Kuro Omoi Seichuu wont work on him to hold him."

Before Sakura could say anything, 25 flashed and vanished. The two noticed a light flare up behind them and quickly moved aside as a stream of blue energy surged through the space they had just been occupying. Twisting about as they dodged, they both thrust their arms out firing back at him. The blasts hit their mark and he was driven backward a couple feet.

"Trunks! Sakura!" A voice called from a short distance away. The two turned and Saw Kavar flying toward them with Kazuki and Yuki at his sides.

"Stay back!" Trunks called over. "This one's stronger than it looks!" As he finished speaking he caught a flash of light from the corner of his eye and turned to look. 25 was gone again. This time, however, his return was marked with a loud crash into the ground. Sakura and Trunks turned toward the sound and saw Sango lift into the air from a small crater she'd formed by driving 25 into the ground.

"You're not the only one that can dimension shift." she said smirking. Suddenly its arm shot up and slammed into her stomach with a thunderous crack doubling her over. It lowered its arm and then went to backhand her away but Sakura charged in and blocked the blow with her own arm.

"Kazuki! Yuki!" a new voice called. Trunks looked and saw Aiko coming down for a landing now as well. "I'd say now is a good time to try that new move of yours."

The siblings glanced at each other and nodded as Sakura fought with the incomplete Android. Despite it only having a single limb its superior speed and power was giving it the advantage in the battle. The siblings moved quickly, running along the rubble in opposite directions and circling around the two fighters.

Once they were directly across from each other they stopped and their hands moved quickly through a series of motions. "Shika-Shidou... Mahi!" they cried thrusting their arms out. They had their hands together in a way that reminded Trunks of Tien's Tri-Beam, only the palms were facing forward and not each other. The siblings were gazing through the space between their hands staring at the Android and focusing intensely on holding it still.

"Resistance is - is futile. You are tresspassing - tresspassing on Red Ribbon property - Red - Red Ribbon property. Leave at once or be - once or be destroyed." it said in its unfinished voice as it moved sluggishly.

"We... can't hold..." Yuki strained. "much... longer..."

It took Sakura a second to recover but then she moved aside slightly and shot her arm out firing a stream of energy right into 25's open shoulder. Light flared from inside and then the Android exploded violently flinging them all backwards.

The first thing that reached Sakura was the pounding in her head, then the aches and pains of her body. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at the sky, now growing dark in the wanning sunlight. "Must have... been out for a while..." she muttered. She went to sit up but let out a cry of pain and collapsed again. Gazing down the length of her body she saw a metal rod sticking out of her abdomen. "Damn, just... my luck. Save the world and... get killed by a broken bar."

She laid her head back down on the ground and closed her eyes again, listening to the sounds around her. She couldn't hear any movement, any talking, any sign of life elsewhere. She could remember the Android exploding and then... nothing. It was possible the others had all died in the blast... or maybe they were just unconcious too. Either way, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that they'd won. Even if they were all dead now it was over. And, if they were dead, she'd most likely be joining them soon.

She let out a sigh and then squinted her eyes shut tight against the blinding glare. /Glare? What would be so bright as to...?/ Openning her eyes she realized it was morning again already. She must have passed out again. She could also hear a loud rumbling sound in the distance, steadily growing louder and louder. It only took a moment for her to realize it was the sound of the antique air boat Bulma had been tinkering with the last couple years. Turning her head slightly she saw it just in the distance and nearing quickly. And then she passed out again.

The next time she woke up her headache was gone and so was the rod through her stomach. Her body still hurt like hell, though, but she was laying in her own bed now. "Hey, you're awake." Trunks said, sitting down beside her. "You had us all worried, you've been out cold for three days now."

"Three... days?" she asked, confused. Had it really been that long? It seemed like only a moment ago she'd seen the air boat coming.

Trunks nodded. "The day after the battle, mom and the others came looking for us. Fortunately, the explosion didn't kill anyone... but..."

"But what?"

Trunks sighed. "A large piece of steel wall fell on Aiko, completely shattered her legs. With the condition of the galaxy, well, there wasn't anything mom could do but..."

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. "This wasn't how things were supposed to end. No one else was supposed to get hurt."

"I'm just glad we made it through without anyone else dying. So is Aiko, she doesn't seem to care about her legs. In fact, she's out sun bathing right now, enjoying the peace and the calm. You get some more rest, you had a pretty nasty infection from that rusty metal rod." Sakura nodded, closed her eyes, and slipped into a deep sleep again. 


	38. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Woohoo!" Goku cheered leaning back in his seat and stretching his arms up. "That was great! I've not had food that good in ages!"

The Grand Kai chuckled as the servants set about clearing the table. "I shall remember to give your compliments to the chef. No doubt she'll be glad to know you enjoyed it, I don't think she's ever had to make that much food before that fast."

"Definitely a good way to end the day." Appla said, patting her stomach. It had only been a little over five hours since Trunks and Sakura had been revived and the three Sai-jins had been feeding themselves within the Grand Kai's dining hall at his request, and filling in both Kais on the events that had happened over the last month.

"So, that's when the Cell Games happened then?" King Kai asked.

"Basically." Bardock replied, stretching as well. "Cell gave us a couple weeks to train first, arrogant bastard. Must have gotten it from the Prince. Anyway, we took out Tao, Gero, and Super 13 easily enough but Cell was a different matter, as you saw."

"He didn't start off that powerful though." Goku yawned. "After Sakura blew herself up to try and kill him he reformed but, er..." he blinked, realizing he wasn't entirely sure what his explanation had been.

Appla picked up for him. "His DNA re-ordered itself to draw more power from the Tanarian in him. I suppose, in a way, he really was the perfect life-form."

Bardock smirked. "Perfect or not he still got his ass kicked by a Sai-jin. A child at that. That's gotta hurt."

The Grand Kai nodded. "Well then, that about catches me up I suppose. It's enough, at any rate. I must say, I am highly impressed. I never expected a mortal to ever exceed my power but Gohan..."

Goku perked up at this. "Wait, do you mean... you're stronger than Cell?" The Grand Kai merely nodded. "Alright! Hey, any chance I could train with you some time!?"

"Goku!" King Kai cried.

"Easy North Kai, he's a Sai-jin, I wouldn't expect anything less." the Grand Kai chuckled. "Hmmm, normally I require that someone trains here for ten thousand years before I take them on."

"TEN THOUSAND YEARS!" Goku cried, wide-eyed.

"Indeed. It usually takes that long before they're strong enough to gain anything from what I have to teach them. Hmmm, I think, however, that a slight exception is in order. North Kai, who was that fighter at the last tournament? The one that defeated Olibu?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean Pikkon?"

"Ah, yes, Pikkon. Strongest in Otherworld... er, I think. Not sure if he holds that title now, but there's only one way to find out. North Kai, summon the other Kais and have them bring their four best fighters, we're going to have a tournament in celebration of a disaster averted. Er, before you do that, who are you going to enter this year?"

"Oh, me, me, me, me, me!" Goku cried waving his hand around.

"Of course you Goku!" King Kai nearly yelled. "I'd say Goku, Bardock, Appla, and Olibu are my best fighters."

"Right then, they're in the tournament! Now, go get the others." King Kai nodded and hurried off. "And no sleeping on the job this time!" the Grand Kai called after him.

As Goku emerged from the dining hall stepping onto the grass outside, he pumped a fist into the air. "Woohoo! We're going to have a tournament!"

Appla laughed and glanced over to Bardock. "Someone's in a good mood."

Back on Earth time moved along. It seemed to be going at a crawl at first but it picked up day by day. Before long Gohan and the others were on their way to Planet Vegeta for the formal service. And then, as though in the blink of an eye, they were home again. Those that had been lost weren't forgotten but, as time passed, life got easier for those left behind.

Vegeta had awoken the night after the formal service soaked in sweat, the ghostly memory of his nightmare still drifting through his mind. It, and an odd sense that he'd see Kakkarotto again some day, kept driving him out to the Gravity Rooms for more training. And he'd had Bulma see to the building of several on Planet Vegeta as well.

Bulma had at first been sad about leaving the Earth behind. It was where she had been born, where she had grown up, and pretty much all that she knew. But, at the same time, she knew that a Queen, which she would be in only a few more years now, certainly couldn't rule from some other planet. And she had to admit, it'd be nice to see Vadora again. Plus, with Tien and Choatzu moving there as well she'd have some friendly faces around her.

They weren't the only ones that moved. Shortly before Bulma's ship made it's departure for Planet Vegeta, Yamcha was saying his good-byes to everyone as well. He would be taking up permanent residence in the Tanarian Palace and wasn't sure how often he'd be able to visit, though he did promise to come by as often as he could. 

He and Hotaru were going to make a short stop at Planet Vegeta first. Both wanted to see Tien's baby, she'd been born that morning it turned out. And Hotaru had some offical matters to handle with King Vegeta. It seemed that, even though the actual shifting of power wasn't for another four years, things were already getting set-up for it. For the new King and Queen of the Sai-jins.

Raditz had, for reasons he wasn't even sure of himself, chosen to linger behind on Earth for a while. He'd not even gone to the formal service on his home planet for his mother, brother, and father. Three more names added to the Wall joining that of his brother Turles. It wasn't until Mango actually came to Earth herself that he finally left. But his destination wasn't Planet Vegeta, though he didn't know where he was going. They just took their pods and left for wherever they ended up.

Piccolo had continued to check in on Gohan every day for the first few weeks but his visits slowed and faded away as time went by and the boy's spirits lifted. For the half Sai-jin's part he was taking his father and grandfather's request rather seriously. He and Videl would head off into the woods whenever the chance presented itself in order to get in some training.

"Gohan!" Chi-Chi called, sticking her head out the front door. A moment later her son was landing on the walk-way, Videl right behind him. The two had become almost inseperable in the months following the Cell Games.

"Ya mom?"

"I need to go into town and do some shopping. You'll have to watch over Goten for me." she explained. "He's sleeping now so he shouldn't be too much of a bother."

"Ok, we can keep an eye on him."

"Thanks dear. I'll be back before sunset." she said, walking out and digging a capsule out of her purse. "If you get hungry there's a couple bags of fruit still in the fridge."

Up on the lookout Dende smiled as he watched Gohan and Videl go into the Son home. He had to admit, the Earth was a beautiful place in times of peace. He could see why Goku had loved it so much. Turning back toward the Shrine he saw Mr. Popo emerge holding a piece of stone in his hands. "Here you go Dende, Summoning Stone, just as you asked."

"Thanks Popo."

"May I ask, what is it you plan to do?"

"Well, Shenron was Kami's Dragon. Restoring him was fine for a short time but over time he'll lose some of his power since Kami and I have such different energies."

"Oh, I see. You're going to make a new Dragon then?"

Dende nodded. "That's the plan. I'm going to take advantage of the peace we have while it lasts. You never know when the Eternal Dragon might be needed again."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Unkown Location:

"Everything's proceeding as planned then?" Raven asked.

Razor nodded. "Aside from a slight misjudging of the strength to the barriers everything is fine. We've adjusted already so there should be no setback in his release."

"Good. What about the resource teams? Last report I heard said we were running low on food for the trees."

"They're all behind schedule. Unfortunately the loss of Slug and Recoome's teams came at a bad time. The incident on Klaish six months ago and the one on Hoven a year before that have reduced our teams by nearly half." Razor sighed. "Not to mention the issue with the communications net."

"The systems are old." Raven said, furrowing her brow slightly. "Outside of time or not they still take wear-and-tear. We don't exactly have the means to replace anything from here. Makeshift replacements and patchwork repairs are the best we can manage on our own. Are the supply ships in position beyond the Horizon?"

"They are. As soon as we breach the field and escape this little prision we'll have access to the best technology of the time. Repairs to systems should be a simple matter then."

"And our battle plans?" came a new voice as Raven's mate entered the room.

"Finalized and ready. It will be years yet, before we can even start to make our move. And then probably another 15 years to reach civilization from our current location. However, all combat plans, strategies, and procedures are in place."

"Any news from Mainframe?" Raven asked.

"It reports that the procedure is advancing ahead of schedule. The patient will be out of surgery in only another four years time, well before we're even free. I've left instructions to keep him off-line until the time comes, we don't want any unexpected mistakes from our own men again." came Razor's reply.

"No, Slug caused us enough grief." said Raven's mate, his tail flicking behind him and then wrapping around his waist. "Well, at least things are going smoothly enough. If the trees die at this juncture there's no real harm in that. I see little need for any more of their fruit."

"My thoughts as well." said Razor. "If you'll excuse me, I need to see about mending the stabilizers. They'll need to be in top condition if we want to survive the time displacement when we get free."

Raven nodded and Razor made his depature. "So, not much longer now." she said, turning and smiling to him. "Just a few more years and we'll be free, we'll be able to pick up where we left off."

He smiled back at her and nodded. "Only this time, we'll be doing it together. That's something the Shugotenshi never counted on. Seperated as we were by the thousand years between our empires we were strong, but not invncible. Now, however, the two greatest Sai-jin's to ever live are fighting side-by-side. The Empire we forge now will make the ones we had before look like anthills."

"Sir!" a female voice called as its owner ran into the room. "Sorry to... interrupt you." she panted. "There's a stasis field... issue with transport... 13." she finished, before taking a deep breath.

"Can't they fix it? They're on the outside, what do they expect us to do about it?"

"They said that it's a power overflow issue. They asked for schematics of the sixth generation supressors, they're still on fifth generation systems."

He pursed his lips in thought. There was a reason he kept technology like that tightly sealed away in the system computers. However, at this juncture, there was no harm in releasing the information. And he needed the cargo in that ship contained until the time was right. "Very well, give him access to the seventh generation system specs, that should contain things."

"Seventh generation?"

"Did I stutter?"

"N-no sir, sorry sir. Just making sure I heard correctly sir."

"Then go do it!"

"Y-yes sir." she said bowing. "Right away."

-END SAGA- 


End file.
